


cigarettes and saints

by wiccaning



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Young Avengers (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Clint Is Essentially a Dad, F/F, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Homophobia, M/M, Noh-Varr Gets Punched, Rejection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 18:41:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17965967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wiccaning/pseuds/wiccaning
Summary: the history books forgot about us and the Bible didn't mention us- Regina SpektorA meeting outside a bar one night leads Kate on an adventure that will leave its mark on her forever.





	cigarettes and saints

**Author's Note:**

> first off, thank you so much to @folykl and @ace8013 for betaing. it means more than you know
> 
> second, this is a list of songs that are referenced, both directly or indirectly, or are relevant to the story.  
> 1\. 10am gare du nord- keaton henson  
> 2\. you- keaton henson  
> 2.5. the ghost of right now- the wonder years  
> 3\. you in january- the wonder years  
> 4\. the night we met- lord huron  
> 5\. cigarettes and saints- the wonder years  
> 6\. raining in kyoto- the wonder years

“Are there _no_ cabs available in New York?” Kate sat down on the sidewalk, pressing the redial button on her phone.

“We’re sorry. We are unable to process your request at this time. Please try again later.”

Kate groaned. “This has been the worst night of my life and I just want to go _home_ and-”

“Need a ride?” A blond girl with her hair in a ponytail, blue eyes and a row of earrings going up her left ear asked. Kate froze for a minute.

“I’m Cassie, by the way.” She said, offering her hand to Kate and pulling her up.

“Kate.”  
“You don’t come here a lot, do you?”

Kate shook her head. “No. My bo- _ex_ wanted to come here.”

“Came out of the bathroom and he was, uh…”

“Yep.” Kate’s tone was bitter.

“You got somewhere to stay?”

Kate paused. “I… don't know, actually. We lived together, but I moved in with _him_. And I _really_ don't wanna see him. Like, ever again.”

“So is that a yes to the ride then, or?”

She hesitated. “I… I think I can walk. Thank you though.”

Cassie laughed. “You really aren't from here. You walk through here, you will not make it home. Trust me.”

Kate shuffled. It was fairly nice out, and she didn’t think the apartment was _that_ far. “I think I’ll be okay. Thank you though.”

Cassie sighed. “Okay, well I’m going to put my number in your phone, and you will text me when you're home. You haven't texted me in two hours, I go looking. Got it?”

“Uhh.” Kate didn't answer, but she pulled out her phone anyway, opening the page to a new contact. “First and last name? In case I need them.”

“Kate. Kate Bishop.”

Cassie nodded. “You need anything, you let me know. See you around, Bishop.” Kate nodded, putting her phone back into her purse, and heading down the road.

About 5 minutes into the walk, she regretted not taking that ride. Someone grabbed her arm, yanking her into some back alley. She felt the cold metal of a gun press into her skull and she froze.

“Scream, and you get a bullet in your head. Got it?”

Kate nodded.

“Good. Now, be good, and you’ll walk away fairly unharmed. You’re going to take-”

He was cut off. Someone had, very literally, swept him off his feet. Kate was knocked to the ground, but it gave her enough time to crawl away. She didn't get very far, frozen in fear and watching her attacker get beat into the ground. Eventually, he was knocked unconscious, and Kate’s savior came to help her up.

“You okay?” it was Cassie.

“Kinda regretting not taking that ride now. Thank you.”

“It’s what I do.” Kate looked at her. “Don’t worry about it. Listen, I’m taking you home. So where are we going?”

“My house, for tonight I guess” Kate sighed. “I’ll find somewhere else to go tomorrow.”

Cassie nodded. “Just give me the address and we’ll be good to go.”

Kate nodded. Cassie put the address into her phone, and they headed to her car.

“Cold?” Cassie asked.

“Oh.” Kate didn't realize she was shivering. “I guess.”

“You can borrow my coat if you want.”

Kate looked at her sideways. “You this nice to everyone you meet outside of bars?”

“Only the cute ones.” Kate stopped. “I’m joking. I told you, it’s what I do.” she clicked her keys, and the door unlocked.

“Like… as a job?” Kate said, opening the door.

“It’s a little more complicated than that.”

“Oh.” Kate was curious, but she didn’t think she was going to get much more out of her.

“So what exactly brought you to this side of town, besides a cheating boyfriend? I can tell you’re not the type to frequent this area.”

“Wh… how?” Kate looked at her quizzically.

“I just know. Plus, I’m pretty sure that’s a Gucci purse.”

Kate turned red. “Oh. Right.”

“Don’t worry about it, honestly.”

“I don't think it would help if I told you my dad was the one who bought it, would it?”

“Probably not.” Cassie laughed.

“If it makes you feel any better, I haven't talked to him in ages.”

“If you don't mind me asking, how come?”

Kate sighed. “We were rich. Like, not Tony Stark rich, but we were… well off. Found out a few years ago he was in some corrupt business and that’s how he made his fortune.”

“That's… awful.”

“Yeah. Kinda was… I idolized him for so many years and finding out about that stung.”

“It would. I’m sorry that happened.”

Kate shrugged. “Past is in the past, I guess. I just promised that I’d never stoop to his level.”

“Smart,” Cassie said as the car rolled to a stop. “Well, we’re here. If you need somewhere to stay, let me know.”

“I should be able to find somewhere. Thank you, though.”

Cassie gave her a smile, dimly lit from the streetlights. “Keep my number. Just in case.”  Kate smiled back and made her way to her apartment. Locking the door behind her, she remembered that Noh didn’t have a key. She decided that was his problem now and crawled into bed.

\------------------

Kate woke up the next day to the sound of someone pounding on the door. Her phone said 9:00, so she decided to get out of bed, continuing to ignore her ex pounding on the door. He’d started to yell, but Kate decided that if he wanted in that bad, he could find his own way in.

“Kate, please.” He pleaded from the doorway. Kate didn’t answer, continuing to sip on her coffee and scroll through her Instagram feed.

“I made a mistake- I’m sorry.”

Kate continued to ignore him, this time switching to find any apartments available in her area for cheap that she could move into asap. The pounding got louder.

“Kate, I just want to talk.” He was beginning to sound more desperate, but all Noh’s pounding was doing was giving her a headache.

“I have to get out of this apartment.” She muttered to herself.

She put her coffee cup in the sink and went to get dressed. Grabbing her charger and sunglasses as she left the room, she headed down the hall to the door. Kate took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to slap Noh-Varr as soon as she saw him. She opened the door, face neutral.  
“Kate-”

“Save it. I don’t want your excuses.”  
“It was only one time, honest.”

Kate let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, right. You don’t think I’ve noticed you hiding things, sneaking in late and slinking around? You’re a cheater and a liar, Noh-Varr, and I never want to see your face again.”

“Kate, _please_ listen. We can work this out-”

“No, we can't. If I don’t find somewhere to sleep, you’re sleeping on the couch until I do.” Kate pushed past him, ignoring his frantic yelling from the door of the apartment.

Kate stepped out of the building, unsure of where to go next. She wanted to look at apartment listings, but she didn’t bring her computer, and she couldn’t use her phone to call at the same time.

“Are libraries still a thing?” She wondered out loud. A quick google search told her that, they were, in fact still a thing. Also, that there was one nearby, which she hadn’t known for the 1 ½ ish years she’d lived here. Calling an uber because she didn’t feel like walking after what happened last night, she headed to the library.

“This is going to be a long day.” She sighed, pushing open the heavy metal door. There were a few people there, which Kate was not expecting. She’d expected it to be dead. Making her way to the computers, Kate thought back to last night. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what had happened if Cassie hadn’t been there. Giving her head a quick shake to get the thought out of her head, Kate pulled up a browser and started browsing apartments in the New York area.

“Need a hand with anything?” A voice asked. Standing behind her was a tall, dark boy. He had a yellow shirt on, and he was standing next to a cart full of books.

“No, I’m just trying to find somewhere to live. Moving out.” Kate answered. “I just can’t find anything for a somewhat decent price.”

“Oh.” He shifted. “If you can’t find somewhere, let me know. I might be able to help.”

“Thanks.” The boy nodded and continued on his way.

Minutes turned into hours and eventually, Kate felt like she’d been there her whole life. Stretching, Kate checked her phone for the time: 2:30. She’d been there since nine, and nothing.

“I guess I could stay with Clint for a few days, but…” Kate said to no one.

“No luck?” It was the boy from before.

“Nope.” She sighed. “I have a friend who I can stay with for a few days, but nowhere permanent.”

The boy nodded. “Hey, I know this is a bit of a weird thing to say, but if you really need somewhere, one of my friends just moved back home and so there’s a bit more room in the apartment.”

Kate nodded. “Thanks, but I don’t even know your name.”

“David Alleyne. you are?”

“Kate Bishop.”

“Nice to meet you. I’ll talk to my friends, but they should be cool. I’ll be here for a few days if you want to take me up on that.”

“Thank you. I’ll think about it.”

He nodded, heading back to the desk. Kate sighed, ignoring all her texts and calls from Noh-Varr and sending a text off to Clint, asking if she could stay over for a few nights. He answered back five minutes later with a ‘ _Sure. I think Lucky misses you anyways.’_ So she wasn’t homeless-not yet, anyways. She sent a somewhat aggressive text to Noh, saying she’d be by to pick up her things.

She closed the tabs she had open and grabbed her things. David stopped her on the way out. “Find somewhere?”

Kate shook her head. “Not yet. A friend of mine’s letting me stay at his place for a few days.”

“Alright, well my offer still stands. You know where to find me if you need to.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Kate gave him a small smile as she opened the door. Hailing one of the cabs driving past, Kate went back to the apartment. Noh-Varr stood up when she got in, looking around nervously.

“Kate,” he said. She didn't answer, shooting him a glare.

“Don’t. I’m just here to get my stuff.” She walked past him and into the bedroom. Grabbing a suitcase from the closet, she hastily threw her clothes in, along with makeup, her blow-drier, and various other articles. She zipped it shut, grabbing her charger from the wall, and took one last look. She’d have some more things to get once she found a place, but for now, she had what she needed. She grabbed her computer and charger from the coffee table. Tucking it under her arm, she left, not even bothering to look at Noh-Varr on the way out.

Her ride arrived ten minutes later.

“Hey, Katie.”

“Ha, Ha,” Kate scoffed, throwing her suitcase in the back. “I’ve told you, Clint; call me that and it won’t end well for you.”

“I’m just messing with you,” he said, going in to ruffle her hair. She grabbed his hand, stopping him.

“Don’t.”

Clint didn't say anything, but he pulled his hand back and put the car into drive. They drove off in silence, Kate slumped over in her seat. The car ride home was completely quiet, only sounds coming from the outside, and Clint’s occasional mutters about the traffic.

They pulled into Clint’s apartment. He parked the car, and they got out. Kate went to grab her stuff, but he stopped her.  
“I got it.” He said, grabbing her suitcase and slamming the trunk.

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m not _that_ useless. I can carry my own suitcase.”

“I know.” He walked off to the door, rolling her suitcase behind him.

Once they got in Clint looked at her.

“What happened?”

Kate looked up from the floor where she was petting Lucky. “Motherfucking Noh-Varr.”

Clint nodded. “I figured. Is there more, or…”

Kate sighed. “We went out to the bar for the night. I went to the bathroom for literally two minutes and I come back and he’s making out with someone.”

“Oh.” Clint didn’t seem to have an answer for that.

Kate laid back dramatically, prompting Lucky to go and kiss her face.

“Aghh- Lucky, stop,” she complained. Clint laughed.

“Come here, boy.” He turned to look at Clint and continued to bother Kate.

“I think he likes you more than me, bishop.”

“I think you’re right.”

\------------------------

Kate was woken up the next morning by Lucky again. He decided she was an excellent chair and was laying on her chest.

“Hey, boy,” she said, giving his ears a scratch. Clint shuffled into the room, rubbing his eyes.

“Morning.” She called.

“Coffee.” Was his response.

“Your coffee is gross,” Kate said, sitting up.

“Don’t like it, there’s place down the street.” He was not a morning person.

“I will,” Kate said, yawning. She went to her suitcase, pulling out some clothes. “I’m going to go get dressed.” Clint barely gave a response, but she went anyways. She came back from the bathroom, and she was almost sure he’d passed out on his counter.

“Make sure he doesn’t sleep all day.” Lucky gave her a small bark in response. She gave him a small pat as she grabbed her computer.

The coffee shop was about a fifteen-minute walk, and it was nice enough out that she didn’t bother to get a ride.  
The shop was a decent enough size, with small round tables littered throughout it. There were a few people there already, but the shop was fairly quiet. Kate went up to the counter

“Can I help you?” A blonde girl came up to the counter.

“Wait, you’re-”

“The girl from the other night.” She finished.

“Yeah.”

“I didn't know you lived around here. Did you find somewhere?”

“No, I'm just staying with a friend of mine.” Kate paused. “You’re… Cassie, right?”  
“Yep. But seriously, need anything.”

“I’m still technically homeless, but if we’re talking coffee, I’ll have a soy latte.” Kate joked.

Cassie gave her a sort of half smile. “The latte I can do.” She thought for a minute. “I’m actually almost done my shift. Why don’t I see if I can help you with the homeless thing?”

“Okay,” Kate said.

“I will have that latte out to you in a bit!” Cassie said, turning and getting back to work. Kate gave her a smile and went to sit down. She opened up her computer and continued to search. She was continuing to have no luck and was pretty sure she was going to be living with Clint for the rest of her life.

“Any luck?” Cassie asked, sitting across from her, sliding her coffee over to her.

Kate sighed. “At this point, I think I’m going to be living on Clint’s couch forever.”

Cassie raised her eyebrows.

“He’s an old friend. He’s like a brother to me. He’s also a chronic disaster.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. To be honest, I can think of _several_ other things I would like to do than live on his couch for the rest of my life.”

“I told you: I can help you out.”

“You’re the second person to tell me that in the past, like, three days or so.”

This seemed to surprise Cassie for a minute, but then her reaction changed. “Where were you when you were asked? Like, not by me.”

“The library?” Kate answered quizzically.

“I knew it. Tall dude, glasses, some sort of sweater thing with a shirt underneath.”

“Yeah.” This was beginning to freak Kate out a little.

“So you met David, then. He’s one of my roommates.”

“Wait- You’re kidding.”

Cassie shook her head. “Nope. He mentioned you last night, too.’

Kate was stunned. “Wait… but yesterday he said that they needed another person because someone just moved.”

“Yeah, we do. Eli just moved back home, and we had the rent agreement split 6 ways.” Cassie leaned back in her chair. “Plus, that way I don’t have to fifth wheel all my friends.”

“Why _me_ , though? I barely know you guys.”  
“Something tells me it’s what’s supposed to happen.” Cassie shrugged. Kate didn’t answer, thinking it over in her head.

“If you want to know more about me, here’s the basics: My name’s Cassie Lang. I’m a lesbian. I live in a house full of boys. I’m also well versed in beating people up, but you already knew that.”

Kate looked at her. “You sure you want me crashing your party? I'm straight”

“Nah. Billy’s always looking for someone to talk about boys with.” Cassie shrugged. “You don’t have to make a decision today.”

“I don’t really have a lot to lose by doing it,” Kate said. “There’s just one issue.”

“No job?”

Kate’s mouth opened.  “Yes- I mean, no. I ended up being fired from my last one, so I’m currently looking, but how did you know?”

Cassie gave her a grin. “I’m psychic.” Kate laughed.

“But if you do need a job, someone did just quit, if you’re interested in getting yelled at by white women in the mornings.”

“It’s my favorite thing, for sure,” Kate said.

“If you do decide to move in, I think you’ll fit in just fine.”

“I’m going to be honest; you’ve got me pretty convinced. I think I’d like to meet the rest of your friends, though.”

Cassie nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. I’ll send them a text, let them know.”

There was a very small part of her that wondered if moving in with people she’d never met was a good idea. But she also remembered that back at all her private schools, they assigned her a roommate. This was kind of like that, right? Besides, she’d already met two of them, and they were nice. She didn’t really think she had a lot to lose.

“Give me your phone, I’ll put my number in it so you can text me later with what they say,” Kate said.

“Sounds like a plan,” Cassie said, pulling her phone out. “You know, I think this is the start of something great.”

Kate smiled. “You know, I think you might be right.”

\--------------------

“Wait. You’re going to move in with people you've only met, what, once?” Clint asked her when she told him about her plans.

“No, I’m going to be meeting the rest of them later. I've already met two of them. They’re nice.”

“How do you know they're not axe murderers or something?”

Kate sighed. “Considering one of them _saved my life_ , I trust them.”

Clint looked at her in disbelief. “I'm sorry, _what?”_

Kate mentally punched herself. She didn't feel like opening this can of worms, but she'd already said something, so she couldn't take it back now.

“Someone grabbed me when I was walking home the other night. Held a gun to my head. The girl- Cassie- very literally beat the crap out of him. I don't know what would've happened if she hadn't been there.”

Clint looked at her, a mix of anger and concern on his face. “Oh my _God_ , Kate, why didn't you tell me?”

“Because I know how you would have reacted Clint. I’m fine, I swear.”

Clint took a deep breath. “Yeah, okay. But the second something feels wrong, you come right back here, okay?”

Kate rolled her eyes. “Yes, mom.”

“Hey! Don´t you talk to your mother that way!” Clint poked a finger at her.

“Hey, you haven't got rid of me just yet. I'm not going over there until tomorrow, and that's just to meet everyone that I haven't met yet.”

“Good. I was getting nervous you _weren't_ going to sleep on my couch anymore.” Clint said, sarcastically.

Kate made a face, pretending to be offended. “Wow. I'm hurt. I´ve only been here for a day, and you already want me gone?”

“No, Lucky does. He sleeps on the couch.”

“Yeah right.” Kate laughed.

Clint didn’t miss a beat. “No I’m serious! He told me himself!” Lucky opened his eye, looking at his owner.

“Hey, you want pizza for supper? I figured you should have one good meal before your inevitable murder.”

“Oh my God, I won’t die. plus, I’m just going to meet them.”  She groaned. “Pizza sounds good, though.”

\----------------

Cassie picked her up the next day at about 2:30.

“Ready?” She asked as Kate got into the car.

“As I’ll ever be,” Kate replied.

“Before we arrive let me give you the rundown on my friends,” Cassie said, pulling away from the building.

“First off, there’s Teddy. he’s literally the _sweetest_ guy you’ll ever meet. he gives good hugs and he'd do anything for his friends.” Cassie started, turning a corner.

“Then, there’s the twins.”

“Are they…”

“Identical? Yes.” Kate paled. Cassie laughed.

“Don’t freak out. Tommy’s got white hair. They’re easy to tell apart.”

“Like, really blond hair or old person white?”  
“Old person white. It’s some weird genetic thing.”

“Why doesn’t he just dye it or something.”

“He’s tried. Dye won’t stay in his hair and bleaching doesn't do anything.”

“Oh. Carry on.”

“So. They might look identical, but they could not be more different. Tommy is always going- I literally do not think he stops moving. I think he made coffee with Redbull once.” Cassie thought for a minute. “Scratch that, I think they both have.”

Kate looked at her incredulously. “They’ve both made coffee with Redbull?”

“Yeah, I think Billy had an essay to write. I don't think he slept for a week afterward. Tommy just… is like that. Anyways, Billy is a lot calmer, usually. I think he and Teddy have seen the entirety of the Pokémon show. Seriously, he is a massive nerd. But both of them want to help people.”

Kate nodded.

“And you’ve met David already, but I’ll give you a bit more. The guy is literally a genius. I’m pretty sure he got accepted into Harvard. Why he’s here, I have no idea. We’re here.” Cassie said, putting the car in park. “Ready?”

“I’m going to be honest: I have no idea.”

Cassie grinned. “That’s the spirit!”

Kate was nervous when she got out of the car. The building looked like it was falling apart. There were vines creeping up the side, and the windows were dark.

“Now- I know the outside might be rough looking, but we’ve done pretty well inside.”

“I thought you had a landlord,” Kate said.

“We do, but he literally could give less of a shit. We pay him on time, so he doesn’t care.”

“I thought most landlords generally care about what you do.”  
“Yeah, me too,” Cassie said when they reached the door. “Shall we?”

“Lead the way,” Kate said as Cassie pushed the door open.

The house was fairly open, save for a few rooms. There was a set of couches to the right of the door, where David was sitting, reading a book. There was the sound of distant yelling somewhere in the house, but Kate wasn’t sure where it was coming from.  
David looked up from his book. “Hello, Kate.”

He shut his book, getting up from the couch. Cassie sighed. “Do we know what they’re arguing about this time?”

“Do we ever?”

Cassie shook her head. “Good point.” She turned to Kate. “Sorry about them.”

One of the doors opened and a brown-haired boy walked out, saying something in a language she didn’t understand.

“Billy, this is Kate.” his head snapped up.

“Wha- _oh.”_ realization washed over him. “I’m so sorry! I completely forgot!” He made his way to the couch, going to shake her hand, something Kate was not expecting. “My name’s Billy!” He turned to Cassie. “Teddy will be back-he’s getting snacks. He said he wants to make a good impression.”

“Tell him to do it before I leave next time. Where’s Tommy, exactly?”

Billy indicated to the door he’d just came from. Just as he did, a white-haired boy came out of the room Billy had just come from. He stopped when he saw the gathering in the living room.

“Lang, how many times do I have to ask, warn me when you bring cute girls into the house.” He ran a hand through his hair dramatically. “Hi. I’m Tommy.”

“I actually hate you.” His brother sighed. Tommy slid his way over to the group, draping an arm across his twin’s shoulders.

“Don’t be so rude! We have a guest!”

“I would like to apologize on behalf of him.” David sighed, rubbing his eyes. “He’s an idiot.”

Tommy looked at him, making an expression of fake hurt. “Wow. And here I thought you loved me.”

It took a lot for Kate to resist laughing. Something he apparently picked up on.

“I like her. She can stay.” He decided.

“I’m sorry I’m late!” A voice came from the door. There was a tall blonde guy at the door, carrying a few grocery bags. “I wanted to make a good impression and we had no food in the house.”

He made his way to the couch. He put the bags down and gave Billy a small kiss on the head before facing Kate. “I’m Teddy. You must be Kate!”

“Nice to meet you.”

Kate was almost overwhelmed. She’d been there for maybe 10 minutes, and they were all immediately welcoming.

“I have an idea.” Tommy borderline shouted.

“What?” Cassie asked.

“It’s my professional opinion that the only way to get to know someone is by beating them at Mario Kart.”

“Tommy, you’ve never beat anyone at Mario Kart in your life.”

He gave Kate a mischievous look. “Not yet.”

They spent the next few hours playing taking turns beating Tommy at Mario Kart, and Kate was almost surprised at how well she fit in. Cassie dropped her off at Clint’s at 7.

“I’ll text you tomorrow,” Kate said, getting out of the car.

“Sounds like a plan,” Cassie said, giving her a smile. She waited for Kate to get in and made her way home.

-

“So,” she asked when she got home. “What did you guys think of her?”

Tommy was laying in David's lap, letting him play with his hair. “She beat me at Mario Kart but other than that, she's cool.”

The others nodded in agreement.

“Would she take Eli's place then? With the whole protecting people thing?” Teddy asked nervously.

“How exactly do you ask someone that, though? Like, ‘hey, me and all my friends go around and beat the crap out of guys that assault people at night.’” Billy pointed out.

“She already knows a little about that. Before I drove her home, some guy had her at gunpoint.” Cassie said. “I took care of him and she didn’t get hurt.”

“Can she fight?” Tommy asked, stifling a yawn.

“I don’t know. I’m sure we could teach her, but that’s only if she’s up for it.”

“Is this a good idea? I mean, I don’t want her to get hurt or feel pressured into doing something she doesn’t want to do.” Teddy said nervously. Billy took his hand, giving it a small squeeze.

“Okay- tell you what. Why don't we have her over tomorrow and ask her?” Cassie suggested.

“Not a bad idea,” David commented.

“But other than that? About the whole moving in thing?”

“I think she’d be fun to have around. Plus, she knows someone with a dog. That automatically means she’s a good person.” Billy said.

“I hate to agree, little brother, but you’re right,” Tommy said, yawning for real this time.

“Great. So, tomorrow we tell her that we’re....” Cassie struggled to think of the word.

“Vigilantes?” David supplied.

“We’re not Spider-Man.” Tommy snorted.

“Okay, okay. Tomorrow we’ll tell her what we are.”

“The gay Avengers?” Teddy said. Cassie laughed.

“Something like that.”

\-----------------

“I still have no idea what’s happening here,” Kate said as Cassie pulled to a stop.

“It’s hard to explain,” Cassie started, pulling the keys out of the ignition. “Remember how that guy had you at gunpoint?”  
“And you beat the shit out of him? It’s hard to forget. Is this something to do with that?”

“Yeah. I think it has everything to do with that.”

Kate didn’t answer. She just followed Cassie into the house, unsure of what to expect. Everyone else was sitting on the couches when she got there.

“I feel like I've joined a cult,” Kate said, following Cassie to the couch.

“You have,” Tommy said, deadpan. Kate didn’t know how to respond to that.

“You haven't,” Teddy reassured her.

“Okay, well that’s good, at least. I still don’t really know what’s happening but that's okay.”

“It’s hard to explain.” Cassie started

“Not really. We stalk the streets at night like Batman or whatever and make sure people get home safe. Sometimes we have to beat the shit of guys who think they’re entitled to anyone they see on the street,” Tommy said simply.

“Oh,” Was all Kate said. “You know, I think some people would consider that a cult, but like… a weirdly nice cult.”

“Basically, we wanted to know if you wanted to…” Cassie paused, unsure of how to word her next sentence.

“You wanna join our cult?” Tommy interrupted before she had the chance to finish.

“You’re asking me if I want to make sure girls get home safe and/or beat rapists unconscious?” Kate asked. “Because that is a yes.”

Cassie broke into a grin, throwing an arm around Kate. “Yes! Welcome to the crew!”

“It’s a damn good thing they had martial arts lessons at that fancy private school I went to,” Kate said, smiling.

“Weird flex, but okay,” Tommy said.

“Wait- you went to private school? What was it like?” Billy asked with wide eyes.

“Absolutely horrible,” Kate said.

“I think that’s just high school in general,” Teddy said. “Also, when are you planning to move in?”

“Wait, does this mean I can?”

“I mean, we’ll have to show you a few things when we actually go out at night, but, yeah,” Cassie said, giving her shoulders a quick squeeze. “You’re one of us now.”

\-------------

“Did you tell him we were coming?” Clint asked as they pulled into Kate’s old apartment.

“No. I wanted him to be surprised.” Kate said.

“So he doesn’t know we’re here.”

“Correct.” Kate opened her door. “Also, it’s going to take me a _lot_ to not punch him in the face, so that’s partly why I brought you along.”

“What if I want you to punch him? Like, hypothetically.”

“Then I guess he gets a black eye and a surprise visit.” Kate grinned. “C’mon, let’s do this.”

Kate unlocked the door to the building.  Clint followed behind her, pulling the wagon of boxes he insisted on bringing. (“we’re going to have to get your stuff out somehow!” “yeah, but a wagon with _boxes??”_ )

“I’m not helping you carry that up the stairs,” Kate stated, holding the door open.

“I’m a big boy, Kate. I can do it.”

“Alright,” Kate said, letting the door close and heading up the stairs. She’d just reached the top when there was a loud crash from behind her. Clint was sitting on the ground, several boxes around him, and his wagon upside down. Kate laughed.

“A big boy, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He grumbled. “Go. I’ll catch up.”

She didn’t argue with that. Continuing her way to the old apartment, Kate braced herself. The door was already opened, so she let herself in. There was a set of shoes at the door that weren’t hers. Not surprising. She ignored them, resisting the urge to announce her arrival. Instead, she was quiet.

Walking into the living room, Noh-Varr was sat on the couch, shirtless-again, not surprising- making out with someone Kate had never seen before.

“Noh-Varr,” Kate said calmly. They practically jumped apart.

“Kate.” He stuttered, obviously embarrassed.

“Don’t mind me- I’m just here for my stuff. You can go back to your toy now.” Her tone was more bitter than she intended. Clint appeared behind her, wagon in tow.

“So, where’re we starting?” He asked, ignoring the scene on the couch.

“Kitchen. Considering I bought most of the mugs in here, anyway.”

“Let’s get going.”

It only took them an hour to fully pack things up. The small things, at least.

“Kate, how do you plan to get this big-ass dresser out of here?”

Kate paused. She thought for a moment. “Do you still have that toolset?”

“Why?”

“Well.” Kate started, “I still happen to have the instructions, and we have this large box….”

Clint groaned. “ _Please_ don’t tell me you intend to take apart a whole dresser to move.”

Kate grinned at him. “Oh, I do.”

“Are we going to be taking apart the bed, too? the cupboards?”

“Nope. Those were here when I moved in. The dresser is mine.”

Clint looked at her.

“There wasn’t enough room in the closet. I’m not the only ‘clothes hoarder’.”

Clint rubbed his eyes. “We’re really doing this?”

“Yep.”

He sighed. “I’ll grab my tools.”

Kate got to work, digging out the instructions.  Her phone buzzed.

CASS: how’s the packing coming?

KATE: we’re dismantling a dresser bc I refuse to let him have Anything

KATE: how I’m going to get it back together, I don’t know

CASS: well it’s a good thing I’m gay then.

KATE: oh?

CASS: it’s a well-known fact that lesbians are good at assembling furniture.

CASS: you have so much to learn.

CASS: do not fret. you will become a master in the art of being gay ;) jk

Kate laughed.

“Wow, new fling that fast?” Clint asked from the doorway. Kate turned red

“No, I’m answering Cassie. I don’t rebound _that_ fast.”

“I’m just teasing. Come on, we have a dresser to take apart.”

45 minutes and a _lot_ of swearing later, they had it apart and into several boxes.

“Alright. That was the absolute worst thing I have ever done in my life.” Clint said, closing the last box.

“Thanks, Clint,” Kate said, giving him finger guns.

“Kate.” A voice said from the door. she was not at all happy to see who was there.

“Please, let’s just talk. This isn’t necessary.” Noh-Varr pleaded.

“Really?” was all Kate said.

“I know I screwed up, and I’m sorry. I miss you.”

Kate snorted. “Yeah, I can really tell.”

He flinched.  “Kate, it was an accident. An honest mistake.”

Kate could feel her temper rising. “I went to the bathroom for _five minutes_. You seriously couldn’t keep it in your pants for that long?”

“It was… a lapse in judgment.”

“You know the more excuses you make, the worse it gets. Tell me, how many ‘lapses in judgment’ did you make when we _were_ together, huh?”

Noh-Varr didn’t answer.

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.” She picked up the box beside her. “Goodbye, Noh-Varr,” she said, pushing past him.

“Wait-” He grabbed her arm. Kate froze for a minute before reacting. She wrenched her arm from his grip and set the box down. She turned to face him and slammed her fist directly into his jaw. He recoiled in shock, holding his jaw. She gave him a smile.

“Have a nice life.”

She beckoned for Clint to follow her, and they dropped off the boxes they were carrying into the back of Clint's car. It only took two more trips to fully collect her stuff. Noh-Varr didn’t say anything else to her.

They loaded the last box into the car, and Clint slammed the trunk shut.

“Well, that’s everything. You ready?”

Kate turned to the building behind her, giving it one last look before turning to Clint. “Hell yeah, I am.”

The ride over was at least 25 minutes, but it didn’t feel like it. The whole ride, Kate felt like she was a kid in high school again. She was filled with excitement for the first time in a while. She was almost vibrating when they pulled up to the worn-out brick house.

“Well Katie-Kate, we’re here.”

Kate made a face. “Do _not_ call me that.”

“Need a hand?” a voice called. Cassie was leaning in the doorway, hair pulled into her usual loose ponytail. Kate could see the top of Teddy’s head behind her and shot Clint a grin.

With the four of them, the moving process took considerably less time. All her stuff was inside in a good 45 minutes.

“Well, thanks for hanging around my house, eating my food and using me for cheap labor,” Clint said when they were finally done.

“What else am I for?” Kate joked. “But for real, thank you so much,” she said, giving him a hug.

“Hey, what else are moms for?” he said, hugging her back. Teddy and Cassie exchanged confused looks, but neither said anything. Clint ruffled Kate’s hair.

“Alright, I’m gonna go break the news to Lucky. You kids call if you need anything, okay?”

They nodded. “Cool. See you later, Katie.”  
Before Kate could react, he gave them a wave and got into his car.

“I am going to kill you, Barton!” she yelled after his car. Cassie laughed behind her hand.

“You guys have an interesting relationship,” Teddy said.

“He’s essentially my older brother but we’re not related. It’s weird.” Kate shrugged.

“Who’s Lucky?” Cassie asked.

“His dog. He’s only got one eye and he loves pizza.” Kate explained as they headed back to the house.

“What happened to his eye?” Teddy asked.

“He got hit by a car. His _old_ owners were awful. Clint saved his life.”  
“Please let us meet this dog,” Cassie said. Kate smiled.

“Maybe; I think right now we should focus on unpacking.”

“Speaking of unpacking,” Teddy started. “What was in that giant box that we all had to bring in?”

“Dresser.” Cassie and Kate said at the same time.  
Teddy did a double take. “A… what?”  
“A dresser. I was the one who bought it and I decided that my ex got nothing. So that is why _these_ are all here.” she said, indicating to the boxes around them.

“You brought a whole dresser over out of spite,” Teddy said.

“Yes,” Kate confirmed.

“You’re going to fit in just fine.” He said. He turned to Cassie. “If you wanna show her around, I can start moving these.”

“Sounds like a plan.” She linked arms with Kate. “So the layout is kinda weird, but you get used to it.” she started.

“This,” she indicated to the room to the left of them, “is the bathroom. It has a shower and a bathtub. Also, a toilet.”

She pulled Kate along with ease, which surprised her because of how small Cassie was in stature.

“This is the dinner table.” She pointed to the table in between the bathroom and a second room. All the chairs around the table were different.

“Interesting chair choice,” Kate observed.

“You take what you can get,” Cassie said. She turned them to face the two rooms on the right.

“Okay: on the left is Billy and Teddy's room; right is Tommy and David's. They… sleep there.”

“I _heard_ that,” Teddy called from somewhere in the house.

“You were supposed to,” Cassie called back. “We have one last stop: the kitchen.”

That’s where they found Teddy. He’d set up her box of cups and mugs and was putting them away.

“I, uh, hope you don’t mind.” He said when they walked in.

“Not at all,” Kate said. She was taken aback at how he had just gone ahead and helped, without being asked. Before she’d dumped him, she’d have to nag Noh-Varr to do anything.

“This is where we keep the food,” Cassie said. “Also; the coffee pot that’s red is Tommy's. Stay away from it.” She warned.

“And finally,” she said, pointing to the stairs, “Is where you and I will be staying. Shall we?”

“Lead the way.”

The upstairs room was essentially a loft. It was smaller than the downstairs room, and you could see into the rooms below. There was a fence around the side of the room, but you could see the support beams going from the edge of the room to the other side of the house. There was a bed hanging from the ceiling, with the blankets piled up at the end. There was a smaller pallet bed on the floor with a mattress on it. There was a vinyl player on an end table, with records scattered around the base of the table, and there was a room divider, giving a little bit of privacy between the two beds.

“Welcome to Casa de Cassie.”

“I don't think that’s correct Spanish.”

“I don't either, but I didn’t take high school Spanish, so.”

“Fair enough,” Kate said. “Is… that a plant on the inside window over there?” She said, pointing to the window on the other side of the house.

“Yeah.”

“How do you get over there?”

“We don’t.” Cassie shrugged. “Tommy waters them, and we’re not sure how he does it…”

Kate didn’t question her. “Is there… No roofs on the other rooms?”

“Yep,” Cassie said, picking up some of the records on the floor.

“Does that mean…”  
“Yep,” Cassie confirmed what she was thinking.

“I…” Kate didn’t know how to respond to that.

“It doesn’t happen very often, trust me.”

“What’re you two talking about?” Teddy asked, sliding the box with the dresser onto the floor.

“The roof situation,” Cassie said, looking him dead in the eyes. Teddy turned bright red.

“...Oh.”  
“Yeah.” Cassie turned her attention to the box. “Did you bring this up yourself?”

“It wasn't that heavy.” He shrugged.

“No, he’s right, Clint’s just a bitch,” Kate said, sitting on the pallet bed.

“Huh. okay, cool. Thanks for bringing this up, Ted. I’m about to teach little miss private school here how to use a hammer.”

“I don’t even have a response to that, she’s right,” Kate said, laying on her side.

“Okay, well, if you need anything, give me a shout,” he said, disappearing down the stairs.

“Do we really need a hammer for this?” Kate asked after.

Cassie laughed. “Nope.” She indicated to the box.

“C’mon. We have a dresser to build.”

Kate sighed, but she got up anyways. They got to work right away, opening the box and pulling out all the pieces of Kate’s dismantled wardrobe. Cassie pulled out the instructions, putting them to the side. Once the pieces were all out, they sat down and got to work.

“So,” Cassie started. “Katie, huh?”  
Kate groaned.

“What? I think it’s cute.”

“It’s an _old_ nickname. That… my mom used to call me. Before…” Kate went silent.

“Did you cut her off with your dad? You said something about shady business practices.”

“No, uh. She died when I was younger.”

Cassie was quiet. “I’m sorry.”

Kate shook her head. “It’s not your fault.”

They worked in silence for a while. After a while, Kate spoke up.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how’d you meet the others?”

“That’s a long story. You ready for it?”

“We’re putting together a dresser. I think we have time.”

“Warning you now: it’s not a very fun one.” Cassie started. “Okay. Let's paint the scene. So; I’m 16. My dad’s been sent to jail and I’m living with my mother; who I haven’t actually talked to since I was 16. Anyways, it is a rough time in young Cassie Lang’s life. My dad’s in prison, and I have finally come to terms that I’m gay. Can you pass me that screwdriver?”

“That’s a lot,” Kate said, handing it over to her.

“Oh yeah. So: my dad’s in prison and I am but a baby lesbian. And I have _no_ clue what to do. My dad and I have always been close. Whenever I was having a bad day or something I could just go to his house, but now I couldn’t.” Cassie ran a hand through her hair, sighing. “Anyways, so my mom and I are talking after school one day and she says something about the fact that I don’t have a boyfriend yet. Then, I make the decision to tell her ‘I’m gay.’ and she kind of looks at me and goes, ‘no, you’re not’ and that’s where that conversation ended.”

Kate was dumbfounded. “Holy _shit_ , that’s awful.”

“Oh, but it doesn’t stop there. So after I told my mom initially and she reacted like that, I started to write to my dad. Eventually, I told him in a letter. Waiting for his answer was absolutely terrifying. But I get the letter back and he tells me that he loves me and he’s proud of me, the whole shebang. So, things are starting to look up, and somehow, I start dating a girl from my school.”  
Kate was listening intently, drawn in by the way Cassie was telling the story.

“ _So_ my mom and step-dad are out one day, and because we were teenagers, she comes over. Anyways, some things happen, and we ended up falling asleep. The next thing I know, my mother is in my room, screaming at us. I don’t think it would've been so much of an issue if we had clothes on, but I digress. The next events were less than pleasant. The first thing she does is send my girlfriend home. Next thing she does is sit me down and start saying things like ‘it’s just a phase’ and ‘this isn’t you’ and ‘what happened to my daughter’.”

Kate didn’t have anything to say to that. She tried to think of something, but nothing came out. Cassie continued.

“I don’t know what it was, but I snapped, pretty much. I told her that this is who I am, and she can’t change it and she just yells at me that her daughter isn’t a lesbian and that if I was, I could find somewhere else to stay.” A heavy silence fell over the room, and Kate felt her heart break. Cassie took in a shaky breath and kept going.

“So that’s what I did. I packed up my stuff and left. I walked pretty much all night before I came across this place, and as far as I could tell, no one lived here. So, it became my home. And it was just me for a few days, and then the twins showed up. After I almost decapitated Tommy with an old piece of wood, we decided we all could live here. Eventually, we met Eli and Teddy and David, and it was the six of us. After a good year of us all living here, the guy who owns this place showed up and asked us what the hell we were doing here, and after we explained, he said that if we paid rent, we could stay. Been here ever since.”

“Holy shit,” Was all Kate could say.

“Yeah,” Cassie said. “Hey, look on the bright side- we finished the dresser at least.”

“Oh.” Kate hadn’t even realized they’d finished. “That we did, I guess.”

“Do you still need bedding.” She asked, changing the subject. Kate’s head was still reeling.

“Oh. I guess I do.”

Cassie grinned. “C’mon, _Katie,_ let's go find you some.”

Kate groaned. “Oh god, not you too.”

“It’s too late. All my contacts have been changed.” Cassie stuck her tongue out, and maybe it was because it was someone who _wasn’t_ the equivalent of her older brother calling her Katie, but she liked when Cassie said it. She pushed that thought away, standing up and offered her a hand.

“Come on. We have an Ikea to visit.”

\-------------

Kate fell into routine shortly after the first few weeks. Cassie was able to get her a job at the coffee shop, and the two had shifts close to each other. more often than not, they’d spend the evenings practicing fight techniques. Cassie also told her about things you should and shouldn’t do. For example, stay quiet. if there are lethal weapons involved, you don’t wanna alert the attacker- it could end badly for the person you’re trying to help.

Kate also learned things like, how to properly use a taser and how to jump across buildings like Spider-Man. she had to admit, there was something about leaping from building to building that made her feel free.

There were some things that confused her. Like why Billy used tasers (his answer was that ‘he literally cannot punch to save his life’) and when exactly she’d actually get to go out. She didn’t ask about the last one, though.

After she’d been there for a month, Cassie threw an energy drink at her after work.

“Drink up. We’re on patrol tonight.”

Kate looked at her, unsure of what to do next.

“What? We didn’t do all that work for nothing?” Cassie gave her a light punch on the arm. Kate ignored the skipped beat in her heart and gave her a grin.

“So that means I can go out at night?”

“Congrats, Bishop. You’ve graduated.”

The rest of the day seemed to crawl past and Kate waited anxiously for the evening to come. Eventually, the sun started to set over the New York skyline, and it was time.

They got into the car at about 9, and Kate was practically giddy with excitement.  

“So, you ready to kick some ass?” Cassie said as they pulled away from the house.

“You know it. You know, there’s just something about the idea of beating the crap out of people that really gets the blood pumping.”

“Don’t get _too_ excited there Katie. This is only your first time at the rodeo.”

“Are we cowboys now?” Kate stifled a laugh.

“Yeehaw,” Cassie put on an awful southern accent, laughing. Kate felt light whenever she heard Cassie’s laugh. There was something about it- full of life and happiness despite everything that had happened to her. To go through everything she had, and still be a walking ball of sunshine really inspired Kate to be better.

Cassie put the car into park, jolting her out of her thoughts.

“Well, let’s set up shop.” She took the keys out of the ignition.

The two of them found somewhere to stand. They made small talk before Kate finally asked a question that had been weighing on her for the first 15 minutes.

“This is a lot of waiting, isn’t it.”

“Yeah. you get really good at waiting out here.”

“I can see that.”

They stood in silence for a while. Kate held back a yawn, and Cassie twisted one of her earrings. Kate looked around at the lights of New York. It was night, but the various buildings dotted the sky like stars. It was peaceful, in a way.

Then, they heard the scream.

“Let’s go,” Cassie said, “It’s coming from down the block.”

They leaped into action. Cassie jumped onto the first ladder she could find, with Kate not far behind. Cassie jumped from the buildings with ease. Kate was a little more hesitant, but she stayed as close as she could. They found the attacker a block away. Kate was about to jump down, but Cassie threw her arm out to stop her.

“Wait- There’s two of them.”

“Oh.” she felt a little stupid having not seen the second attacker.

“Okay- you take the one on the left- I’ll get the one on the right.” Cassie positioned herself, getting ready to jump onto the dumpsters below. “Ready?”

“I think so,”  
“Good. Break.”

Cassie jumped first, Kate following a second later. She was fast- landing a kick on the first attacker. Kate saw her window when the second was distracted. She could feel the adrenaline pounding in her veins. There was only one time he almost got the upper hand- almost.  After what felt like maybe 30 seconds, the assailants were down. Cassie gave her a smile, wiping sweat from her brow.

“Nice work.”  
“You too.”

They focused their attention on the girl that had been jumped.

“Are you okay?” Cassie asked gently.

“I-I think so.”  
Cassie offered her a hand. “Good. do you have somewhere to stay?”

“Yeah.” The girl said, still shaken  
“We’ll get you home safe. Don’t worry.”

The girl didn’t live far from where they were- only about 10 minutes. Once she was inside the house safely, Cassie turned to face Kate.

“Dude, you did awesome tonight.” Kate’s heart skipped.  
“I had a pretty good teacher.”

“Hey- Teddy helped.” Cassie pointed out.

“I guess he did,” Kate said, laughing

“Now c'mon. Let’s go see who else we can help tonight.”

\------------

Around 3 months passed since Kate’s first official “Mission” and she was added to the rotation. Usually, she went with Billy or Cassie, but tonight was different.

“I’m stealing Cassie tonight,” Billy said when she sat down on the couch that morning.

“Oh?” Kate looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah.”

“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I was just asked to watch Lucky this evening, so I _can’t_ go out tonight.”

Billy scrunched up his nose. “Wow. Abandoning us for a dog?”  
“What’re we talking about this morning?” Cassie asked, sitting next to Kate on the couch. She laid back, throwing her legs into Kate's lap.

Kate froze, but only for a second. Over the past few months, she and Cassie had become incredibly close. And Kate was fine with that- she’d missed having a best friend.

She was less of a fan of the conflicting feelings she’d get around Cassie.

At first, they were little things- like how hearing her laugh made her heart skip or the way she felt when she said Kate's name. Over time, though, it seemed to evolve. They’d brush hands when they were walking sometimes, and it sent electricity pulsing through her veins. Or sometimes Cassie would drape herself over Kate when they were sitting, in a casual, platonic way she knew, but that didn’t stop her stomach from filling with butterflies when it happened.

She thought about Cassie at night sometimes. About how soft her hair looked, or what it would be like to hold her at night, or what kissing her would be like.

“Earth to Kate,” Billy said, snapping her back to reality.

“What?”

“You were just telling me about how you’re _abandoning_ us tonight?”

“ _Oh_. Yeah, Clint’s asked me to stay overnight- watch the place, look after Lucky, stuff like that.”

Cassie pouted. “What am I going to do without my partner in crime?”  
“Hey- it’s not all bad. You get to hang out with Billy.” Kate sympathized.

She sighed. “I guess.”

“That’s cold, Cassie. Real cold.” Billy said. She stuck her tongue out at him.

Kate’s phone buzzed.

CLINT: Change of plans. Can you come now?

She groaned, sending him an “I guess” back.

“What?” Cassie asked.

“He wants me to come over now, so I’ll see you all tomorrow.” She pushed her friend's legs off her lap, much to Cassie’s dismay.

“Cass, can you drive me?”

“Yeah. But are you planning to go in your pajamas?”  
“Yes,” Kate deadpanned, “I’m going to sit on that fuckers couch all day, and he can’t stop me.”  
Cassie snickered. “Okay, fair enough.” she jumped off the couch, grabbing her keys from the hook by the door. The whole ride there, Kate complained- mostly about Clint, but Cassie also got to hear some of Kate’s feelings after seeing her ex at work the day before.

“God, I wish I’d punched him sooner. Like, in the bar where I dumped him.”

“Ah, _that_ bar. You punched him?”

“Square in the jaw, baby,” Kate said proudly as they pulled into Clint’s apartment.

“That is beautiful. I think most men deserve to be punched in the face.” Cassie said, putting the car in park.  
“Well, this is my stop. I’ll text you tomorrow if I need a ride, okay?” Kate said, opening the door.

“Got it. Have fun with pizza dog.”

“He’s the only reason I’m here,” Kate teased as she shut the door.

-

Cassie waited for her friend to get in before driving away. The car ride back was silent, and she already missed Kate. She got back to the house, and Billy was in the same place he was when they’d left.

“I’m back.”

“How was that?” Billy asked lightly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, making her way to the couch.  
“Please don’t try to deny it.”  
“Deny what?”

“The fact that you’re in love with Kate.” He said simply. Cassie groaned, collapsing back onto the couch.

“Is it really _that_ obvious?”

“Yes!” Tommy called from the kitchen.

“You should ask her out,” David said plainly, leaning on the couch

“Wh- Where did you all come from?”

“Bathroom.” He answered. “Seriously though. Give it a try.”

“She’s _straight,_ David.”

“So was Tommy, and here we are now.”

“I _heard_ that!”

“My point is, you don’t know what’s going to happen if you _do_ say something.”

“She’s going to say no.”  
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Billy said, shrugging. Cassie sat up and looked at him.

“Please don’t play games with my heart here, Maximoff.”  
“I’m not.”

“No, he’s really not. I’m pretty sure you turned her gay, Cass.” Tommy had appeared next to David, linking their hands together.

“I appreciate it, guys, but I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. Besides, I swore off love years ago.”

The boys exchanged glances.

“Cassie, you can’t let one bad relationship ruin your love life forever,” Billy said softly.

 Cassie sighed gently. “I guess not.”  
“So, will you ask her?” Tommy bugged.

“We’ll see.”

\-------

Kate was woken up the next day by the sound of Lucky’s barking.

“Mmf… Lucky… Stop barking… I’m trying to sleep.” Kate pressed her face into the pillow, exhausted

“I’m glad to see how you’d react if my house got broken into.” said a voice from the door.

Kate lifted her head. “Wh-Oh, hi, Clint.”

“Hiya, Katie-Kate. Thanks for watching my dog.”

Kate groaned as she sat up. Lucky, having greeted Clint enough for his liking, and padded over to Kate, sitting at her feet.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?”

“What? You let your girlfriend call you Katie- why not me?”

Kate choked on her spit.  “My _what?_ ”

“You know- Cassie.”  
“She’s not my… girlfriend.” Kate hesitated.

Clint raised his eyebrows. “You know if there's anything you need to tell me, you can.”

“I know. There’s nothing, though.”

Clint didn’t say anything. He just nodded, coming into the house and dropping his bag on the floor.

“Actually…”

“Yeah?” he said, sitting next to her on the couch. Kate sighed, not sure how to start her next sentence.

“I’ve been… really confused for a few months.”

“What about?” Clint seemed to know where she was going, but he let her talk.

“I don’t know. Me, I guess? I really like talking to her and sometimes she lays in my lap and my brain kinda… stops working and sometimes I think I don't know what to say to her and sometimes I feel like I’m going to throw up around her.” she stopped, before adding another thought. “And sometimes I think about kissing her.”

Clint looked at her. “Kate… did you ever think that _maybe_ you have a crush on her.”

It was like someone had slapped her in the face with realization. “Shit… I think… you might be right.” Kate ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t know… but what would that make me?”

“There’s a lot of terms, Kate. You could be bi, or gay, or…” Clint trailed off, thinking.

Kate sighed frustratedly.

“I mean, me? I’m bi.”

Kate looked at him. “I don’t know what that means, but what?”

“Who did you think Barnes was?”

“I don’t know- it never occurred to me that you were sleeping with him!”

Clint laughed. “Well, I was. Still kind of am.” Kate opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. “Bi means bisexual, by the way. As in, I like girls and guys.”

“Oh.”

There was a silence before Kate spoke up again. “So like… what do I do?”

“Why are you asking me for relationship advice,” Clint asked her.

“I don’t know.”

“Ask her out,” Clint suggested.

“I don’t think she likes me like that.”

He shrugged. “You never know. Try it. What can go wrong?”

“Uh, I lose my best friend?”

“Something tells me that won’t happen.”

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean.” Kate looked at him suspiciously.

“Nothing. You need a ride home?”

Kate sighed. “Yeah, please.”

“Okay, I’ll drive you home. And Kate?”

“Yeah.”  
“You have your whole life to figure things out. You’re young. Do what you want.”

She smiled a little. “Yeah… Thanks, Clint.”

“Anytime.”

\-------------

Several weeks passed, and Kate was still having a hard time processing the crush on her best friend. She was also sure that her feelings were starting to get stronger, and she wasn’t sure what to do. She spent a lot of time texting Clint about it, despite the fact that he was essentially useless in relationships. Most of the time, though, she tried to avoid the thought and lived in the moment.

That was what she was doing when the twins got a call. More specifically, Billy did.

“Hello?” He said, answering the phone. “Yes, this is him,” He beckoned for Tommy to come with and they went out into the yard. Kate looked at Cassie, who just shrugged. They came back into the house a few minutes later, talking in a language she didn't know. She looked at Cassie again, who mouthed back “Hebrew”.

“Was that…?” David asked

“Lawyer.” Billy ran a hand through his hair.

“What’d he say?” Teddy asked.

“I don’t know- he said there's a chance for an appeal, but they don’t know? I’m not a lawyer. He said if it all goes well.”

Tommy paused, pouring himself a cup of coffee and downing half of it. “Mom’s could be out in a few years.”

Cassie practically jumped off the couch, pulling Billy into a hug. “That’s _awesome_ , guys!”

Kate looked around, not sure about what was happening.

“You look lost, Kate,” Tommy said, downing the other half of his coffee.

“I kind of am.”

The twins exchanged a few words in Hebrew, and then Tommy threw himself next to Kate on the couch.

“Well, Kate. It’s a long, long story.”

“Tommy, don’t.” Billy sighed. He grabbed a chair from the table and dragging it to the sitting area. Kate looked between them, still unsure of what was happening.

“You said I could!”

“I said _we,”_ Billy retorted.

“Fine, then. You start.”

“So; Tommy and I were raised by our mom. And y’know- it was just us three for most of our life, save for my uncle who was always around. But we got by, and it was okay.”

“Except- our uncle is kind of a little shit,” Tommy added.

“Yeah, that. So when we’re about 15, almost 16, something happens at mom’s work, and she gets fired. And for a while, things were tight. Then they weren’t. I didn’t think anything of it, but one night, Tommy comes running into the room yelling about something.” he looked at Tommy, who immediately picked up where he stopped.

“I was _going_ downstairs to get something, but I could hear mom and uncle Pietro talking about something- I think they were talking in German, I still don’t know- but all I can really tell is mom is losing it. Like, freaking out. All I really heard was something about ‘bodies’ and ‘didn’t mean to’ and so, I come back upstairs and my idiot brother goes ‘let’s go see what happened’ and I said ‘no’ and so we went downstairs.”

“It turns out, our grandfather is some sort of weird, underground mobster. He found out mom was in trouble and wanted to help. So, naturally, he made mom and our uncle do his dirty work.”

“Our uncle did most of it, but apparently something went wrong, and a few people were accidentally shot,” Tommy said, sitting back. “When everything settled, mom was the one holding the gun.”

“Next thing we know, the police are at our house. We spent the next like… week or something in state care, before being moved to foster care. Except-”

“They separated us.” Tommy's tone was bitter.

“Yeah. we were there until like a month after the trial, but we were able to break out-”

“Excuse you, _I_ broke _you_ out.”

“Whatever!”

“So; we were runaways. Like those kids from L.A, whose parents were like, evil or whatever.” Tommy said.

“Yeah. we lived on the street for a while, and then we found this place, but-”

“Cassie was already here. Also, she almost decapitated me.”

“I heard about that.” The twins looked shocked at that. “From Cassie. She told me how you guys met. Not the other thing.”

“Oh,” Billy said. “Well, now you know.”

“That’s… a lot, though. I’m glad you’re okay. So the lawyer…”  
“Murdock said that if the retrial goes okay there's a chance she could be let out with parole, or something. I don’t know a lot about legal things. I just know it’s a good thing.”

“I hope it all works out for you guys.”

“Yeah, me too,” Billy said.

“Wait- how’d Murdock even know to contact you?” Tommy asked his brother.

“The day we turned 18, he contacted me. Said it was mom’s request. He did it, even though he wasn’t supposed to.”

“Sounds like your mom really won on the legal side.”

“Yeah, she did.”

“Hey, she’s also got some pretty kickass sons, too,” Teddy said, putting his arms around Billy. He didn’t say anything, but he looked up at his boyfriend, giving him a kiss

Kate smiled. She pushed the thought about how she wanted to do that with Cassie to the back of her head and focused on being happy for her friends.

\---------

“We,” Cassie slid into their shared bedroom a week later, “are going out tonight.”

“Where are we going?” Kate looked up from her phone.  
“To a movie.”

“That new one Billy and Teddy are talking about. The main actress is hot, so I legally have to go.”

“Sounds like a date.” Kate teased.

“Maybe it is,” Cassie said back. Kate did not know how to process that.

“I’m kidding.” And there went all Kate’s hopes.

“Oh.” Kate tried not to sound disappointed. “What’s this movie called?”  
“Captain Marvel. According to Billy, she’s ‘probably gay’, so, I have to watch it.”  
“And if she isn’t?”

“Then I got to watch a pretty girl in spandex with my best friend.”

“Fair enough. When are we going?”

“In about,” Cassie checked her phone. “Thirty minutes.”  
“And when did you decide we were going.”

“A minutes before I walked into our room.”

Kate got up. “Guess we better get going then.”

“We should.”

And they did. Cassie threw the keys to Kate as they ran down the stairs.

“Where are you two headed,” Teddy asked from the couch.

“Movies,” Kate said as they headed out the door.

“They were eager,” Tommy commented as the door closed behind them.

The girls made casual conversation as they walked to the car. Cassie opened the passenger side door, a switch from their usual arrangement.

“Hey, why’re you letting me drive?” Kate asked as she put the keys in.

“Figured I’d see if you could.”

Kate shrugged as they pulled away. The drive to the theatre was a good 15-minute drive, but they talked the whole time. She didn’t think she felt more at home than when she was with Cassie.

“Nice work, Bishop. I guess you can drive.”

“I guess I can. Shall we?” Kate asked, offering Cassie an arm.

“We shall,” Cassie said, taking it.

Kate didn’t know a lot about superheroes, but she knew a few things watching the movie with her best friend; that Brie Larson was _very_ pretty, and that Cassie was right. Carol Danvers was definitely gay.

“Oh my god, that was _awesome_!” Cassie said as they got out of the theatre.  
“It was! I didn’t know they made them that good.”

“Apparently, they can,” Cassie said, grabbing Kate's hand. Her heart jumped, but she didn’t let go. Instead, she entwined their hands. She could feel Cassie pausing, but she didn’t let go. They walked to the car their hands entwined, and Kate didn’t think she wanted to leave this moment.

Cassie drove them home, and Kate felt light the whole way.

Cassie stopped her before they went in. “Hey, I had an awesome time tonight.”

Kate grinned, “So did I.”

They went into the house, still talking about the movie. The house was dark.

“How long were we gone?”

“They’re on lookout, remember?”

“Oh. Yeah.” Kate said.

“You wanna go upstairs, watch tv?”

“We only have a tv down here.”

“On my computer, dork.” Cassie laughed.

“Wow, okay. You take me out to a movie and then bully me when we get home? I see how it is.”

Cassie shook her head as they went up the stairs. Kate threw herself onto Cassie’s bed, yawning.

“Hey, watch it. I don’t know if the bed is supposed to move.”

Kate sat up. “Dude, it hangs from the ceiling. It’s going to move.”

Cassie sighed, grabbing her computer from on top of the record player. “Good point.”

Cassie put a show on, but Kate wasn’t sure what it was. They spent a good hour or so talking before both of them got tired, and the conversation dwindled. Eventually, the conversation died, and Cassie fell asleep. Kate yawned, watching Cassie sleep soundly. Eventually, she fell asleep too, and there was nowhere else she wanted to be.

\----------

A month passed and Kate couldn’t get that day out of her mind. She was thinking about it when they were out on patrol one day. One thing had changed, though. They’d begun to share Cassie’s bed. She still didn’t know what they were, but she was sure they’d crossed the line between friends. They were something else. Not quite friends, not quite lovers.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Cassie interrupted her thoughts as they walked back to the car. They’d just finished a night of being, in Teddy's words, the ‘gay Avengers, and Kate’.

“Nothing,” Kate hesitated.

Cassie looked like she was going to call her out, but they were interrupted by someone’s yelling.

“That’s our cue,” Kate said.

Cassie figured the sound was a few blocks away. There wasn't anywhere to climb, so they went on foot. The attacker was trying to get someone’s bag, but he didn’t succeed. Cassie helped the girl, leaving Kate to take out her attacker. It was a quick save- the man went down fast. Kate went to see if the girl was okay, grabbing her bag off the ground.

“You okay?”

The girl nodded.

“Do you need somewhere to stay?” Cassie asked.

She shook her head. “My apartment is down the street.”

“We’ll walk you home,” Kate said.

And they did. The girl was nice- she was young, only about 18- and she had just wanted to go out with some friends. They watched her get in safely and headed home.

“Now, where were we? Oh, yeah, what’s going on with you.” Cassie asked as the door shut.

“Nothing. I was just thinking, that’s all.”

“What about?” Cassie asked, clicking the unlock button on her car. The girl lived conveniently where they’d parked.

“I don’t know. The fact that despite the fact that my dad was rich, I don’t know how to dance.” Kate lied.

“Wait, like…ballroom dancing?”

“Uh… yes?” Kate said as they drove off.

“Oh my god. I’m teaching you as soon as we get home.”

“Cass, it’s literally 4:00 in the morning. The others are already home.”

“I didn’t say inside,” She laughed. “I will show you where I go to get some peace and quiet.”

“Well now I’m intrigued,” Kate said. “Where is this place?”

“You’ll have to find out,” Cassie said. She wouldn’t say anything for the rest of the way home, no matter how hard Kate pressed. They pulled in, and Kate turned to her.

“Now, will you tell me where we’re going?”

“Can we get out of the car first?”

“I _guess_ ,” Kate pouted.

The girls got out of the car. Cassie locked the doors and pulled out her key. The house was quiet, just like it was the night of the movie.

“Shh,” Cassie whispered, leading her up the stairs, and out the door that sat on the wall. Out the door was another set of stairs, leading to the roof. They got to the top and Kate was speechless.

“Wow…”

“Isn’t it beautiful?”  
“It’s incredible…” You could see a lot of New York from the top of the building. Aside from the occasional light on in an office window and the streetlights, it was dark. Only the outlines of buildings could be seen, and the moon was bright.

The sound of a soft piano filled the air. Cassie had started a song on her phone.

“Now, how about that dance lesson?” She asked, offering Kate her hand.

Kate took it, and Cassie put her hand on Kate’s hip, taking the other one in her hands. It was quiet, except for the gentle sounds of the music.

_This feels right and I’m letting it_

_And now I know just what to do_

_Tire of me if you will, my dear_

_I will not tire of you_

“Seems kinda fitting, don’t you think,” Kate said, as Cassie lead the dance.

“Enlighten me.”

“I think I like you.” Kate’s voice was almost a whisper. Cassie was quiet before she answered.

“I think I like you too. But…” Cassie trailed off.

“But.”

A silence filled the roof again, the only sound the song that had been started.

_“Please do not break my heart,_

_I think it’s had enough pain to last the rest of my life”_ came playing through Cassie’s phone.

“That.”

Kate cocked her head to the side, not sure of what she meant.

“I’ve been hurt, Katie. And it messed me up, a lot.”

“Oh.”

“But I think I want to try again. With you.”

“Really?”

Cassie smiled softly. “Yeah. I do.”

Kate was speechless for the second time that night. She didn’t say anything, but she laid her head on Cassie’s shoulder while they danced.

“Kate? How long have you liked me for?”

“Uh… a while now.”  
“What do you consider ‘a while’.”

“Like… 6 months, maybe 5?”

“Oh my god.” Cassie laughed a little.

“What?”

“I think I’ve like you for the same amount of time.”

Kate lifted her head. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was. I think this is why Billy calls me a ‘useless lesbian’.”

“We’re kind of idiots, aren’t me?”

“I think that’s what love does,” Cassie said quietly.

“I think that if this is what love is, I don’t mind it.”

There was silence again. Kate lifted her head, and they looked at each other for a minute.

Cassie closed the gap between them. Her lips were soft, and she tasted like cherries.  
“I don’t mind it either,” she said.

The song had stopped a long time ago, and eventually, so did Cassie’s dance lesson.

“I don’t want to go inside yet,” Kate said, still holding Cassie’s hand.

“Me, either.”

So they didn’t. They sat on the edge for a while, holding hands and watching the sky. It felt like there was no one in the world but them. Kate felt like she was at peace for the first time since she’d left Noh-Varr.

Cassie yawned, leaning into Kate’s shoulder.

“Tired,” She said, sleepily.

“Bed?”  
Cassie nodded. Kate stood up first, helping her up. They went down the stairs, going back into their room. Cassie lifted the blanket, crawling into bed. Kate got in next to her, facing her. Cassie’s eyes were drifting shut, and she was calm. Kate put a hand gently into her hair, and she smiled gently.

“Cass?”  
“Mm?”

“What are we?”

Her eyes fluttered open. “What do you want to be?”

Kate thought for a minute. “Girlfriends? If you want to be, that is.”

“I’d like that.”

“Really?”

Cassie nodded. Kate smiled, watching her girlfriend close her eyes and drift back to sleep. Soon, Kate fell asleep too, hands entangled in Cassie’s blond hair.

-

She was woken up the next morning by the sound of Freddie Mercury blasting through the house. Cassie groaned next to her.

“What time is it?” Kate asked groggily.

“Too early,” Cassie grumbled.

The song faded out, and Kate almost yelled with joy. And then, _Don’t Stop Me Now_ started playing.

“Cass,”

“Hm.”

“Who in your house listens to Queen this early in the morning?”  
“It’s your house too. And I think it’s ten.”

“That’s evil. Who is it?”

“I don't know,” Cassie yawned. “This is the first time it’s happened.”

“Hm. I’ll be right back,” She said, grabbing her pillow and getting up.

“Katie, come back,” Cassie whined.

She didn't answer. She was focused, aiming her pillow above her head.

“Found you,” she whispered, hurling the pillow over the railing and directly into the perpetrator.

They heard a loud “ _What the fuck?!”_ come from downstairs. Kate smirked as she got back into bed.

“Nice shot.”

“Thank you.”

Both of them received a text at the same time. Tommy had frantically texted the groupchat that ‘ _the house was haunted_ ’ and that ‘ _he’s harassing me with pillows_ ’

“Should we tell him?” Cassie asked.

“I got this,” Kate said. She sent him back a very simple message: _that was me, dipshit._

There was no text back. Instead, they heard the sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs.

“How long have you been here?” He was almost out of breath.

“Since last night.” Kate replied  
“Hey, how often do you listen to Queen this loud?” Cassie asked him.

“Yeah, and could you turn it down next time?” Kate asked yawning.

Tommy sighed. “As long as you don’t, you know, _hurl a pillow at me_.”

“No guarantees,” Cassie said, as he went down the stairs.

Kate laid back onto Cassie’s chest. She ran her hands through Kate’s dark hair, and Kate melted into her girlfriend's chest. They laid in bed for a while, curled into each other.  Every once in a while, they’d show each other a meme they’d find, but other than that, they were quiet. It was peaceful. Kate was starting to fall asleep on Cassie’s chest. She was almost asleep when she was nudged awake.

“Kate.”

“Hmm,”

“It’s like 11. We should get up.”

“Do we have to?” Kate grumbled.

“Yes,” Cassie answered, running a hand through Kate's hair.

Kate sighed.

“I know, I know.”

“Can’t we stay in bed all day?”

“No, we can’t, love.”

Kate lifted her head a little. “I like that nickname.”

Cassie placed a small kiss on her head. “I like you.”

Kate smiled. “I like you, too.”

\---------

“Cass,” Kate asked a month later, on their way home from work.

“Kate,” She replied.

“So, uh… are we going to tell the guys? I mean, only if you want to.”

“Do you want to?” Cassie asked her.

“I think so.”

“Okay.”  
“Cassie?” Kate asked a minute later

“Yes?”

“Uh… how exactly do you… do it?”

Cassie looked at her. “Like, come out?”

“Yeah.”

“Well we can go extra or we can go casual.”

“I think casual is fine.”

“Okay. It’s movie night, isn’t it?”

“I think so, why?”

“Because, we can say something then if you want,” Cassie said, turning a corner.

“Okay.”

“Cool. You nervous?”  
“Yeah. I’ve just never done this before, you know?”

“Yeah, Katie, I know. You’re going to be nervous. We don’t have to if you don’t want.”

“I do! I just don’t know what to expect, that’s all.”

“A lot of hugs. Mostly from Teddy.”

“I’m okay with that.”  
Cassie smiled, pulling the car into the drive.

“Come on. Let’s go set up.”

Though there wasn’t much to help with. The guys had gotten most of the things set up. The coffee table had been moved, and several blankets were spread out across the floor. There were pillows scattered across the blankets, and Tommy was sprawled across one of the couches, a popcorn bowl on his chest.

“We’re back,” Cassie called.

“Sup,” Tommy said, shoveling a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

“What’re we watching?” Kate asked.

Tommy shrugged. “I dunno. My brother picked it out,” He said through a mouthful of food.

“Where is everyone?”

“Upstairs, I think.”  
As if on cue, a shower of blankets came falling over the railing.

“When’d you guys get home?” David asked, shutting the door to his room.

“Five minutes ago,” Cassie answered.

“You guys ready for movie night?” Billy asked, jumping off the last stair, Teddy not far behind. The girls nodded.

“Pajamas?” Kate asked, looking at Cassie.

“Pajamas,” Cassie said. “We’ll be right back.”  
“Can I tell them when we go back downstairs?” Kate asked when they got to their room.

“If you want,” Cassie said. She threw Kate a shirt, taking her own off.

“Is this mine?” Kate asked. Cassie shrugged.

“Does it matter?”  
“Nah.”

The girls finished getting dressed. Before they went back downstairs, Kate took in a deep breath.

“Ready?”

Kate nodded. “Let’s go.”

Everyone was situated when they got back downstairs. Tommy was still sprawled across the couch, but David had joined him on the couch, his boyfriend’s head in his lap. Billy and Teddy were laying on the ground next to each other, hands clasped.

“Hey, can we talk to you guys for a minute?” Cassie asked.

“Sure.” David said, “Go for it.”

Cassie looked at Kate, giving her a small nod.

“So, uh. Cassie and I are dating.”

A calm quiet filled the house, and Kate could feel her heart in her throat.

“Yeah, we know.” Tommy broke the silence. Billy hurled a remote at him.

Teddy got up off the floor, pulling both of them into a hug.

“I’m proud of you. How long?”

“About a month.” Cassie answered.

“Good for you two,” David said, giving Kate a kind smile.

Relief washed over her. Happily, she took Cassie's hand,

“Now that _that’s_ out of the way, why don’t we go watch a movie?”

Cassie gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Let’s go.”

\------------

Kate was startled awake one night, a month or two later. The house was quiet, except for the soft sound of rain on the windows, and Cassie’s muffled dry sobs.

“Cass?” Kate asked, concerned. Cassie was trembling, and she had her face buried in her pillow to muffle her crying.

Kate set a hand on her shoulder gently. “Cassie, baby, what’s wrong?”

Cassie lifted her head at that, her face red.

“Roof.” It was one word, but her voice was shaky. Kate could see she was desperate.

“Cass, it’s raining.”  
“Please.” her voice cracked.

Kate sighed, getting up off the bed. She walked around to the other side, holding a hand out for her girlfriend. Cassie took it, trembling slightly. Kate led them to the door, and up the stairs to the roof. Once they were at the top, Cassie collapsed in a fit of sobs in her arms. Kate ran a hand through her hair, whispering gently.

“Cassie, it’s okay. I’m here, I’ve got you.”

Eventually, Cassie calmed down enough to talk.

“Sorry.” Her voice was still shaking.

“Cassie, what’s going on?” Kate was worried- this was the first time she’d ever seen Cassie like this.

“Nightmare.”

“Seems like a pretty bad one. Do you want to talk about it?”  
Cassie didn’t meet her eyes. She said nothing for a while, before taking in a deep breath, and talking.

“It wasn’t really a nightmare- not really. More like a flashback.” She sniffed. “I don’t get them a lot, not like this.”

Kate didn’t have anything to say to that. She pulled the smaller girl into a tight hug. After she’d let go, Cassie started again.

“You know how I said I’d been hurt before?”

“Yeah?”

“It was that. We were young. It was… bad. I was hit a few times. I don’t like talking about it, but it messed me up a lot.”

“Oh my god, Cass. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s taken a lot of therapy to get over it. I don’t think I would’ve said yes to going out with you if it wasn’t for therapy. But it’s still there, you know? Like, I don’t think I’m ever going to forget it.”

“I know what you mean,” Kate said, gently placing a hand on Cassie’s cheek.

“You do?”

“Yeah…” Kate sighed. “A few years ago I was attacked walking home. Central park. He…” Kate’s voice broke as she trailed off, trying not to think about what happened.

It was Cassie’s turn to comfort. She pulled her girlfriend into a hug. “Nothing is ever gonna happen like that again, I promise.”

“I’ve got you and you’ve got me,” Kate said brushing a bit of her now drenched hair out of her face.

“Until the stars burn out.” Cassie said.

“That your own way of saying forever?” Kate laughed a little.

“Yeah,” Cassie gave her a kiss. “Yeah it is.”

\------

“Kate,” Cassie started as they walked into work one day. They were slowly approaching their 6-month anniversary, and it was the best months of her life, as far as Kate was concerned.

“Yeah?”

“It occurred to me today that it’s officially been a year since you moved in.”

“Oh… my god. You’re right.” Kate said, pulling her hair back. “It doesn’t feel like it’s been a year.”

“We’re going to celebrate tonight.” Cassie said, pulling her phone out.

“How so?”  
“I don’t know. But we will,” there was a glint of mischief in her eyes. “Now, we have work to do.”  
Working at a coffee shop wasn’t all bad, except for the occasional white woman whose sole purpose in the world was to complain. It just seemed that on this particular day, there were dozens of them. Kate had to deliver a soy latte to a lady with 3 screaming kids behind her. She was ignoring them, though. The woman had her cell phone pressed to her ear and she was talking away. Kate didn’t say anything, though. She just gave the customer her latte and continued working.

It seemed like the hour of the suburban white moms was over, when the same lady came back, mad at something. Cassie shot her girlfriend a look of ‘I got this’ and went to the counter.

“Can I help you?” she asked, in her customer service voice.

“Can I speak to your manager?” she snapped. Cassie didn’t react.

“Sorry, he’s not in right now. I can help you, though.”

“Fine.”

Kate could feel the arrogance radiating off this woman.

“I ordered a non-fat, soy latte with two shots of vanilla from here. And this is _not_ a soy latte!”

“Okay, how can I help you, then?”  
“Well, I’d like my money back, a new drink, and that the complete _idiot_ who made it be fired!”

Cassie’s face faltered for a split second. “I’d like to help you. Can we make you a new drink free of charge?”

“That would be helpful, but unless you’re going to give me what I want, then I’m afraid not.”

“Ma’am, I’m can’t fire anyone. I’m not a manager.”

“Well, get your manager here then and have _him_ fire her!” The lady was starting to turn red. “At least give me my money back!”

“Do you have the receipt?”

The woman scoffed. “Why do you need that?”

“It’s company policy, ma’am. I can’t refund you without proof of purchase.”  
“That is absolute bullshit!”  
“I’m sorry but there’s not much I can do. Can we remake your drink?”  
Kate could hear Cassie was starting to get a little annoyed, but she kept her cool.

“I’ve wasted my time. Your manager will be hearing from me, and neither of you will be here much longer!” She turned and stormed out of the cafe, kids still in tow.

“That was… interesting.” Kate said.

“You can always count on a PTA mom to make things interesting. That’s not the worst, though. I had one throw their drink at me when I said I couldn’t refund them.”  
“Yikes.”  
“Yeah. Got the rest of the day off, though.”

“You know, I did put soy in there.”

“I know. ‘Customer is always right,’ remember?”  
“So they say.” Kate said.

The rest of the shift passed with no issues. By the time 3:00 hit, Kate was almost ready to pass out. But there was still a half-hour to go, and she pushed through. 3:30 hit and she was ready to go. Yawning, Kate hung up her apron and pulled her hair out.

“Don’t fall asleep on me yet, Katie. We’re going out tonight, remember?”

She yawned. “Where too?”

“I don’t know, all I know is _Tommy_ picked it, so it’s going to be somewhere that probably doesn’t ID.”  
“Can I nap before we go?”

“Sure, love. I might join you.” Cassie said, turning onto their street.

“There’s something about white women that’s very exhausting,” Kate said, as the blonde parked the car. The girls got out of the car, and it was Cassie’s turn to yawn.

“I think you’re right.”  
“I _know_ I'm right,” Kate joked.

The house was quiet, except for Tommy, who was drinking from the coffee pot at the table. He gave them a nod as they went up the stairs. Kate jumped into bed and was asleep when her head hit the pillow.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d slept for, but the next thing she knew, Cassie was shaking her awake.

“Love, we should get up. We’re going out tonight, remember?”

“Oh yeah.” Kate yawned. She laid there for a minute, waking up a little before she got up. It didn’t take her long to get ready- she just put on an old purple dress of hers and some light makeup. Kate didn’t remember most of the ride there- her and Cass talked the whole time, excited for the night out.

Kate didn’t drink a lot that evening- she kind of figured that she’d need to drive home. Judging by Cassie’s giggly flirting, she was right.

“Katie,” she said, drawing out the ‘e’ sound.

“Yes, Cass?”

Cassie had draped an arm around Kate. “You’re pretty.”

“I think we should get you home.”  
“I think you’re right,” Teddy said. “I’ll bring everyone else home. Go.”  
“Thanks, Ted.”  
“Anytime. See you tomorrow, Kate.”

Kate got up, helping her girlfriend off her seat. “Come on, baby.”

Cassie giggled, giving the dark-haired girl a sloppy kiss. She unlocked the car doors and helped Cassie into the door.

Kate put the car in drive and pulled away. The car was fairly silent, and she was sure Cassie had fallen asleep. They were almost home when the silence was broke.

“Kate?” She was still pretty drunk, but Kate answered.

“Yes, Cass?”  
“I love you.”

Kate was taken aback.

“I love you too, Cass.”

“No, I like… love you.”

Kate laughed a little. “I love you too.”  
“No, you don’t get it. I think you’re my soulmate.” She said, as the car stopped.

Kate didn’t know how to respond to that. But something felt right about Cassie saying it.

“I think you’re mine, too.” She whispered back. Cassie gave her a wild, drunken grin. Kate smiled softly.

“Come on, Cass. It’s bedtime.” She said, getting out of the car.

It wasn’t that hard to get Cassie out of the car. Up the stairs to their room, however, was more difficult. But they made it. She helped Cassie into bed and crawled in next to her. Cassie shifted, resting her head on Kate’s chest. Soon, the girls fell into a gentle slumber.

The sun woke Kate up the next morning. She gently opened her eyes, looking at her girlfriend, who was sleeping soundly next to her. The sun was shining through the window, and cascading down on Cassie’s hair, and she looked like an angel.

Kate didn’t know how much time passed before Cassie woke up, but she didn’t care. She was happy to be in that moment and would’ve happily stayed there forever.

\-------

“Good morning, sunshine.” Cassie said, waking Kate up one day.

“Cass. I love you, but I did not sleep last night, and I would love to sleep longer than 2 hours.”

“Wow, you’d ditch our anniversary for sleep?”

Kate bolted upright. “Oh my god.”

“Happy 1 year, love.” Cassie said, giving Kate a kiss. Kate smiled.

“I can’t believe it’s only been a year.”  
“Me, too.” Cassie had her hand resting gently on Kate's head, their foreheads pressed together. “If this is how one year is, I think I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Kate laughed softly. “Is that a proposal, Lang?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?”

“Well,” Kate said, pressing a kiss on her girlfriend’s lips. “I don’t think I’d be too opposed to one.”

“Are you guys done being gross yet? Because breakfast is waiting.” A voice said behind them.

“Morning, Tommy.” Kate sighed.

“We’ll be down in a minute,” Cassie said. He nodded, turning and going downstairs.

“Guess that means we should get out of bed, huh?” Kate asked.

“Yeah, probably.” Cassie said, giving Kate a kiss on her head and getting up.

“So what's the agenda for today?” Kate asked, pulling on a pair of jeans.

“Well. We’re going to go sightseeing- art museum, places like that. We’ve got dinner plans at a restaurant-no, I won’t tell you where- and you’ll have to wait to see what the evening plans are.”

“I can’t wait.” Kate smiled.

Cassie offered her an arm. “Shall we?”

As it turns out, Teddy had made pancakes for everyone. They were very good pancakes, and Kate ate a majority of them while Tommy ate most of the others.

“You two have an exceptional talent for eating.” Billy commented.

Cassie shot Kate a look as soon as he said it. “Kate.”

“Cassie.”

“Whatever you’re going to say, I suggest you don’t.”

“Kate won’t but I will- That’s what she said!” Tommy yelled, and everyone in the house groaned.

“That is our cue to leave, Kate.” Cassie said, grabbing their plates and putting them in the sink. Cassie took Kate’s hand, and they left.

“Alright. First stop: art museum.”

“But Cassie, how can I go to a museum when I’m going to be with the greatest art piece of all?”

Cassie turned red at that, “Smooth, Bishop. Real smooth.”

“You love me.”

“Yeah, I do.”  
The ride to the museum wasn’t long: it was only 20 minutes or so. They spent an hour or two there, hands tangled together. The museum wasn’t very busy. There were some tourists there and a few families, but other than that it was quiet, and no-one bothered them.

After they’d made their way around, Cassie told Kate that they were going on the ‘tourist route’ and that they were going to hit every “tourist” spot in the city.

“Cass, we’ve both lived here our whole lives.”

“And? What’s more fun to than to pretend to be tourists?”

“Anything else,” Kate laughed.

“We’re doing it.”

So they did. The day passed quickly and before she knew it, Cassie was taking her to their dinner reservation. Somehow, Cassie had booked them a semi-fancy restaurant, and dinner was excellent.

“Okay,” Kate started after dinner. “What do you have planned for us this evening?”

“Well, my love. We are spending a night under the stars.”

Kate raised an eyebrow. “Where is that, may I ask.”

“On the roof. I have asked Teddy to set up a mattress and blankets, and we’re going to sleep there.” Cassie squeezed her hand. “Sort of an ode to how we got together.”

“I love it.” Kate smiled, leaning into the shorter girl’s side. The ride home was an exciting one, and the girls talked the entire time. When they got home, Cassie didn’t go to the front door. Instead she beckoned for Kate to follow her, leading her up a set of stairs that lead to the roof. The stairs connected to the ones that sat outside the door in their room, but neither of them ever used them.

Their mattress had been set out, laying on a tarp of some sort, and their blankets were on top of it.

“Happy anniversary, Katie.” Cassie said, pulling her into a passionate kiss. Kate’s body burned with electricity.

“Come on. I want to show you something,” Kate’s voice was almost a whisper, but Cassie knew what she was implying.

Cassie gave her another kiss. “Then what’re we waiting for?”

\------------

It was about 1:30 in the afternoon when Cassie got home one day.

“Where’d you go?” Kate asked.

“Doctors.” Cassie seemed distracted. They’d been together for about a year and a half, and Kate was pretty good at reading her.

“Everything okay?” Kate asked. Something was off, but she wasn't sure what.

“Yeah. Just a check-up.” Cassie’s distraction seemed to have faded.

“Okay. We’re on patrol together tonight.”

“Nice. I’ve missed beating the shit out of people with you.” Cassie said, placing a kiss on her girlfriend’s head. “I’m going to shower.”

“Have fun.” Kate called. She ignored the feeling in her gut, telling her something was wrong, and opened her phone, scrolling through her phone.

Kate’s worry was pushed to the side until they were out that night. It was around 1:45, and they’d just finished beating the crap out of someone who was stalking a girl on her way home, and Cassie looked tired. It wasn’t uncommon to be tired, but she looked especially tired today.

“Cass, are you sure you’re okay? You look exhausted.”

Cassie nodded. “I’m fine, I promise.”

Kate decided not to press anymore even though she thought she should’ve.

Kate regretted that about a week later, when Cassie collapsed in the middle of their patrolling.

It had been a normal night- Cassie was tired, but she’d been tired for a while, so Kate wasn’t too worried. They’d just returned from driving a girl home, and Cassie stopped to catch her breath.

“Cassie, baby, you okay?”

“Yeah.” She was borderline panting. “I just… need a minute.” she collapsed a minute later, her face pale.

Kate reacted immediately. “Cassie!”

She managed to catch her, but the smaller girl was still unconscious. Kate lowered them gently to the ground, resting Cass’s head in her lap. She immediately sent a message to the groupchat, telling them Cassie had collapsed and she was taking her to the hospital. She put her phone back in her pocket, and hoisted Cassie up, carrying her bridal style to the car. She opened the backdoor, keys in her teeth, and placed Cassie in the backseat. Just as she got into the car, her phone rang. She didn’t look at who was calling, she just answered.

“Kate? What’s going on?” It was Teddy.

“I don’t know.” Kate was borderline panicked, but she tried not to show it. “I’m going to the hospital now- she just collapsed.”

“Okay, we’ll meet you there- which one?”

“Closest to us is the one on 56th and 45th.” She was quiet for a minute. “Teddy, I’m scared.” Her voice cracked, despite her trying to hold it back.

“I know Kate. She’ll be okay.” Teddy’s voice was calm. “Focus on the road. We’ll meet you there.”

“Okay. Thanks, Teddy.”

“Anytime.” He said, hanging up. Kate put her phone in the cup holder, her head in a spiral. A noise from the backseat snapped her back.

“Kate?” Cassie’s voice was weak, but she was awake.

“Hi, Cass.”  
“What happened?”

“You… collapsed, Cassie.”

“I did?” She could see Cassie trying to sit up in the backseat.

“Don’t sit up. The guys are meeting us at the hospital.”

“Hospital?” Cassie still seemed confused about the situation.

“Yes, baby. I want to see what’s going on.”

Cassie muttered something that Kate didn’t fully catch. She only caught the end.

“...Heart.” And she was out again.

“Cassie? Cassie?!” Kate was starting to panic again, and she had to take a few deep breaths to calm down. Finally, the lights of the hospital appeared on the horizon, and a wave of relief washed over her.

Somehow, Billy and Teddy had beaten her there. Teddy was waiting outside the ER doors, and he came running when he saw her car approaching. She put the car in park, and practically jumped out of the car.

By the time she was around the car, Teddy had the backdoor opened and he was gently lifting her out of the car.

“So what happened?” He asked, as they walked as fast as they could to the ER doors.

“I don’t know. She said she needed to catch her breath and then I was catching her because she was collapsing. She woke up in the car, but she was confused. Before she passed out again, she said something, but I only caught the last part of it.”  
Teddy nodded. “Okay. Tell the doctors that. Billy’s grabbing a nurse.”

He was waiting for them when they got inside, and there were nurses waiting with a gurney. Teddy laid her down, and they took her somewhere- Kate didn’t know where- and a doctor turned to Kate.

“Can you tell me what happened?”  
“We were just walking, and Cassie stops, and I ask her what’s wrong, and she says that she needs to catch her breath, and then she just collapsed. I got her to the car and she woke up for a bit.”  
“How was she when she woke up?”  
“She was confused, and before she passed out again she said something but I only caught the last word.”  
“What’d she say?” the doctor asked, looking up from his board.

“All I caught was ‘heart’ and then she was out.”  
The doctor nodded. “Is there anything else you can tell me about the patient, medically speaking? What’s your relationship to her?”  
“She went to the doctors last week, but she said it was just a check up.” Kate hesitated, before speaking again. “And I’m her girlfriend.”

The doctors face softened. “Okay. Do you know where she went? We might be able to pull her file from there.”  
“I don’t,” Kate shook her head.

“It might be the one on 23rd and 45th. Closest to our apartment.” David said. Kate wasn’t sure when they’d arrived, but she was glad they had.

The doctor nodded. “Okay. One more question: What’s her name?”

“Cassie- Cassandra. Cassandra Lang.” Kate said, panic filling her chest again.

“Okay. You guys have a seat. I’ll call you when we know something.” he turned, saying something to a nurse before disappearing down a hallway.

Teddy placed an arm around her shoulders gently. Kate had gone numb, almost. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen, and her head was spinning.

She didn’t know how, but she was sitting in a chair. Her friends were around her, and they were all talking. Kate could hear them, but she wasn’t processing what they were saying. The talking stopped, and Billy pulled her into a hug, snapping her back into reality.

“Don’t cry, Kate. She’ll be okay.” He said, giving her a tissue.

Kate didn’t even realize she _had_ been crying. “I know. I’m just scared.”

“I know. We are too.”

“Cassie’s a badass, she’ll make it through.” She could tell from his voice that Tommy was freaking out, but he was trying to disguise it.

Kate nodded, wiping at her face. She was feeling a little bit less worried, and then the doctor came out.

There was something on his face that told Kate this wasn’t good news.

“You’re here for Cassandra Lang?” He asked the group. They nodded.

“Her hearts failing. We’re going to have to perform emergency heart surgery.” and Kate’s world came crashing down.

“We have somewhere you can wait while the surgery is underway.” He indicated for them to follow him. “The nurses…”  
Kate didn’t here the rest of what he had to say. The only thing she could hear was her heart pounding in her chest. She followed the others, blankly.

He showed them some chairs, and they sat. They sat for what Kate would consider the longest hours of her life.

At some point, Kate fell asleep on Teddy’s shoulder. she woke up a few hours later. Tommy had fallen asleep also, head in David’s lap. Billy was on the other side of Teddy, a death grip on his hand. Kate sat up more, yawning.

“Anything?” she asked.

Teddy shook his head.

“How long do these take?” Kate’s mind was racing with everything that could possibly be going wrong.

“Anywhere from 4 to 8 hours.” David pushed his glasses up.

“How long have we been here?”

“About 4 ½?” Teddy guessed.

Kate sighed defeatedly. She pulled out her phone, leaning back into Teddy’s shoulder. That was how they stayed for another two hours, until the doctor finally came out.

“She should make a full recovery.” Kate was pretty sure she could’ve kissed him.

“She’ll be in the ICU for a few days and then she’ll be moved.”

“Can we see her?” Kate asked apprehensively.

“There’s a limit on how many people can be in the room at one time, but sure. Follow me.”

He took them to an elevator, and they went up several floors. Kate was excited and scared at the same time.

“Do they know why her heart failed?” David asked as the doors opened.

“The cardiologist says he’s pretty sure it was a congenital heart defect. He was surprised she made it to 20 years old without any problems.”

“Wait, what does con-what-ital means?” Tommy asked, yawning. He was still sort of asleep.

“Present since birth.”

There was a wave of unsure silence that washed over the group.

“You’re going to have to ask for her when you come here next, and depending on how fast she bounces back, she’ll be moved to a more general area of the hospital.” They stopped outside of a room. “She’s in here, but only two of you can go in at a time.”

They nodded. “Thank you so much, doctor.” Kate said.

Kate turned to the group. “Do any of you want to come with me?”

David gently put a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get our chance. You go.”

She nodded, pushing the door open.

Cassie was asleep on the hospital bed. She was hooked up to all sorts of machines, and there were tubes coming out of her chest. Her skin was pale, and she looked like a ghost.

“Hi, Cass.” Kate whispered, approaching the bed. As she got closer, Kate realized that she had a breathing tube in her nose. She took Cassie’s hand, and it was like ice.

She didn’t say anything for a long time. Kate just sat there, holding the smaller girl’s hand. She sat there for a long time until Teddy came in to check on her.

“You okay?”

Kate nodded. “Yeah. I just… how’d it all go to shit so fast?”

Teddy placed an arm around her gently. “I don’t know. She’ll be okay, though. I’m sure of it.”

She looked up at him. “I hope so.”

“I know so.” He offered her a hand. “You want to go take a walk?”

Kate nodded, taking his hand. The rest of the group was waiting for them when they got outside.

“She okay?” Billy’s tone was full of worry.

“She’s okay. Still asleep, but alive.” Teddy said.

“We’re going to go for a walk. You guys can go in if you want.” Kate said.

Billy nodded, indicating for Tommy to follow him, and they went in.  
“You okay here David?” Teddy asked. He nodded.  
“You guys go ahead. I’ll wait here.”

They nodded and headed down the hall. Kate was quiet for the beginning, until Teddy asked her a question, they both knew the answer to.

“Kate, are you okay?”

She brushed her hair behind her ear. “My girlfriend almost died. Not really.”

“I know. But if you need _anything_ , please let one of us know.”

“I know. I'm just really freaked out. I don't know what I’m going to do if I lose her, Teddy.”  
“You won’t have to. She’ll be okay.” He said, pulling her into a hug.

“You want to know something?”

“What?”  
“I don’t think I’d know what to do if I lost her either. Cassie’s been my family since I was 17.”

Kate wasn’t sure how to answer that. Teddy didn’t really talk about his past much. It was basically a mystery to her how he met the others.

“You don’t know how I met the others, do you?”

Kate shook her head.

“It’s not that happy of a story. When I was at school one day, our house caught fire. My mom was inside, and she didn’t make it.” He took a shaky breath. “After the funeral, I was basically homeless. Spent a few weeks on the street and after a while I met Cassie. Rest is history.”  
“Oh my god, Teddy.” Kate’s heart shattered. “That’s horrible, I’m so sorry.”  
“It’s okay. It was hard there for a while, but her, Billy and even Tommy helped. It took a lot of their help and therapy to get to a place where I was okay.”

“Please let me give you a hug.” Kate said, almost tearing up.

“Be my guest.”

Kate pulled him into a hug, and she didn’t let go for a long time.

\----------

Kate’s routine changed practically overnight. Cassie woke up a few hours after being in the ICU, and after 2 days in there, she was moved to a more general area. Kate went from work to the hospital and back again. The boys were there with her every day, though usually they didn’t stay overnight.

“How’re you feeling?” Kate asked, coming into her room after work one day.

Cassie shifted into a more upright position. “I’m tired, mostly. But the doctors said that the immunosuppressants are working and that my body hasn’t rejected the heart.”

“Cass, that’s awesome!” Kate grinned.

“Yeah. Doctors say that if everything goes well I should be able to go home in a few weeks.”  
“Had you not been the recent recipient of a heart transplant, I would give you the world's biggest hug.”

“I know.”

Kate sat down, and they resumed their regular routine of showing each other videos and things they’d seen online. Eventually though, Kate worked up the courage to ask Cassie something that had been bothering her for the past few weeks.

“Cass?”

“Yes, love?”  
“Why didn’t you tell us?”

Cassie looked up. She put her phone down, avoiding Kate’s eyes, and then she spoke.

“There's… a few reasons. I didn’t want you guys to worry.”  
“Cassie, I don’t think there’s anything _more_ worrying than your girlfriend literally collapsing.”  
“And I thought I could handle it on my own.” Cassie looked away. Kate placed her hand on hers gently.

“Cass, you don’t have to handle things on your own anymore. You’ve got me and the twins and Teddy-”  
“I know. I’ve just handled things on my own for so long, I figured this was just something else I could handle.”  
“Cassie…”  
“I know. I’m sorry.”  
“I’m not mad. Just promise me when you get out that you’re not going to keep things like this from us.”  
“I promise.” Cassie looked at her. “I’m sorry, Katie. I really am.”  
“I know.” she placed a gentle kiss on Cassie’s lips.

“You are my world, Kate bishop.”  
“I love you, too, Cassie.”

\--------

Kate could feel it in her bones. Something bad was going to happen. She didn’t know what, but she didn’t think about it. Instead, Kate decided to focus on what was happening in the present.

It just so happened that the present was starting to become Kate’s worst fear.

She walked into Cassie’s room one day, and she was already awake. Though, something was different. An oxygen tank was now beside her bed, and there were tubes connecting from the tank to her nose. She looked up when Kate came in, putting her pen down.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Kate put her stuff down and sat down. “You’ve got something on your face.”  
Cassie raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. I feel like I have to sneeze all the time.”  
“Yikes.” Kate was going to ask _why_ she’d been hooked up to oxygen, but she was distracted by the sheets of paper scattering Cassie’s bed. “Whatcha doing?”

“Writing Dad a letter. Figured it had been long enough, so…”

“I thought letters were extinct.”  
“They pretty much are,” Cassie shrugged. “But they don’t entirely allow prisoners phone calls.”  
“I thought they do?”

Cassie shook her head. “They do, but not very often, I don’t think. Anyways, would you be able to put this in a mailbox?” She asked, folding a few sheets and putting them into an envelope.  
Kate nodded, putting the letter in her bag.

“So why exactly do you have an oxygen tank now?” Cassie’s face fell.

“It’s not a good thing. remember how they had to up to dosage of the immunosuppressants?”

“Yeah?”

Cassie sighed. “It’s still not working and they don’t think they can up the dosage anymore. So that means if they don’t start working, I have to have another heart transplant.”

Kate was crushed. the last two weeks had been a rollercoaster and it had seemed like they were finally at the end of it, but there was another turn. However, Kate didn’t let it show how much that devastated her. Instead, she took a deep breath and gently placed her hand on Cassie’s.

“You’ll be okay, Cass. I know it.”

How wrong she was.

Over the next week, Cassie got weaker. By the end of the week, she couldn’t sit up on her own, and she slept most of the time. She was awake when the doctor came in with news none of them wanted to hear.

“I’m sorry. She has to have another transplant. Her body just won’t accept this one, even with the immune suppressors.”

And Kate’s world shattered again.

“How do we know her body won’t reject another heart?” David asked.

“We don’t.” The doctor answered. “Fact is, whatever heart we put in will never be fully accepted. The body thinks it’s a foreign element and attacks it. We just have to make sure the suppressants work enough to keep her immune system off her heart.”

“When is the surgery?” Teddy asked.

“As soon as there’s a donor heart available.”  
“When’s that going to be?” Billy asked, nervous.

“We don’t know.”

A heavy silence filled the room, and there was an air of uncertainty. The doctor gave them a sympathetic look, and he left the room. No one said anything for a long time. Tommy broke the silence.

“I need to take a walk.” Something about his voice was off, but no one said anything. They knew Tommy well enough by now to let him go. Cassie’s face shifted, but Billy placed a hand on her arm.

“He’ll be okay,” he reassured.

Cassie nodded, yawning. After a while, she fell asleep. Soon, Kate did too, her head on the side of the bed. She didn’t know that tomorrow, her life would change.

Kate woke up the next morning at about 8. Cassie was already awake and sitting up, which was a good thing.  
“Hey love.” Cassie’s voice was gravelly, like she had a sore throat.

“Hi baby.” Kate yawned. “How’re you feeling?”  
“Better than normal.”

Kate sat up. “That’s good.”

The doctor came in then.

“I have good news.” He said. “There’s a heart available, and it’s a match for Cassie.”  
They exchanged an excited look. Kate almost shouted with joy.

“So that means…?”  
“She’s getting surgery today. In about an hour. I’ll let you two talk, let your friends know.”

Kate couldn’t wipe the grin off her face as she called the others. They were there in 20 minutes.

The room was full of a nervous excitement. Kate was more nervous than excited, but she knew if it went well, Cassie would be able to go home. The hour seemed to pass by fast and soon the doctor was in, telling them she had to go in soon.

The boys gave her a hug, told her they loved her, and they’d see her after. Kate was the last one in the room.

“Katie,” Cassie said, placing a hand on Kate’s cheek. “If you must mourn, my love, mourn with the moon and the stars up above.” She half sang it, half whispered it.

“Cass…”

“If you must mourn,” there were tears going down her face now “Don't do it alone.”  
It was Kate’s turn to cry.

“Cassie don’t talk like that. You’re going to make it.”  
“I know.” Cassie’s voice was still quiet. “But if I don’t.”

“You will,” Kate leaned in, placing a kiss on Cassie’s lips. “I love you so much, Cassie. You don’t even know.”  
“I’ve told you. You’re my world.” Cassie leaned her forehead into Kate’s. “I love you too, Kate. More than you will ever know.”

There was a knock at the door.

“We’re ready.” There were a few nurses at the door, waiting. Kate nodded.

“I have to go.” Kate said, eyes filling with tears again.

“I know.”  
Kate gave her one last, long kiss. “I love you, Cassie lang.”  
“I love you, Kate Bishop.”

Kate wiped her eyes as she joined her friends. Teddy pulled her into a hug when he saw her. She started crying again as soon as he put his arms around her. She didn’t know how long they were in the hug for but having Teddy there to give her a hug when she needed helped.

The hours seemed to drag on. Kate wanted to fall asleep again, speed time up, but she couldn’t. Tommy was more fidgety than normal, pacing up and down. Billy’s leg was bouncing fast, and he was playing with Teddy’s hand. Even David seemed to have lost some of his composure, fidgeting with his glasses. 5 hours passed, and there was still no word. Kate’s lungs started to feel like they didn’t have enough oxygen. Teddy noticed this right away, of course, and he rubbed her back gently.

Another few hours passed, and Kate felt like there was a pit gnawing at her stomach. Even Teddy was starting to look anxious, like he could tell what Kate was thinking. She tried to keep her thoughts from entering a darker space, but after several hours with nothing, she didn’t think there were any other options. Another hour passed, and Kate thought she was about to start crying. Then, the doctor entered the waiting room.

“Kate Bishop?” he said, addressing the group.

“That’s me,” Kate practically jumped up when he said her name, but as soon as she was up, something on the doctor’s face told her it wasn’t good news.

“I’m sorry. She didn’t make it. We did our best to save her.”  
And Kate’s world fell apart. She collapsed to the ground sobbing. Her world, her love, her soulmate had been so close to coming home and she was gone.

Kate didn’t register what was happening around her. She didn’t notice Teddy coming to give her a hug, tears streaming down his face. She didn’t notice Tommy running out of the room, trying to choke back his own tears. She didn’t see Billy in the corner, trying to tell himself it wasn't real and that she’d be coming home. She didn’t see David, crying, and trying to comfort Billy. She didn’t notice when Teddy got up, choking out an “I’ll call Eli.” before leaving the room.

Kate spent the next hour numb. She didn’t feel like anything was real, until she was given a large envelope from a nurse, who was giving her Cassie’s things. Kate opened the envelope, and inside were smaller ones, each with a name on the outside. She gave the others theirs, and there were 4 left. Two for her parents, one for Eli and one for her. The only thing was, Kate’s letter was addressed to “My World.” Her hands shook as she held the envelope in her hands. She was still having issues processing that Cassie was even gone. Holding something she wrote _for her_ didn’t help that. Kate took a deep breath and gently tore the letter open. She felt her eyes well as soon as she saw her name at the top of the letter. She wiped her eyes, took the letter out, and read it.

_Katie,_

_If you’re reading this, it means I didn’t make it._

_There’s so much I want to say and there’s so much I don’t know_ how _to say. Mostly these two things overlap._

_I guess I should start with the obvious. You’ve heard it all a 1000 times before by now, but I’m sorry. I really, truly am. I guess I owe you a bit more of an explanation as to why I didn’t tell you and why it took me literally collapsing on the street for you to find out. I was scared, mostly. I know, I’ve said all this before, but finding out I’ve had a bad heart since I was born is terrifying. Not finding out until I was 20 is even more terrifying. I’ve been on my own since I was 16. I’ve handled most things on my own since then. I thought I could handle this on my own, too, and look where that got me. If I could go back in time and tell myself to tell you guys, I would. Not everyone gets a second chance, I guess._

_Another thing is my mom’s going to want to come to the funeral, and she should. We haven’t talked in a long time, but she’s still my mom and I love her. She’s got a letter telling her that, like you do. So did everyone else. She might talk- about me, about us. If she does, let her. We know the truth._

_I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, Katie. I don’t remember most of them. But you? You were the one thing I got right. I know that now._

_I don’t really know how to end this other than saying I love you. I loved you then and I love you now. Kate Bishop, I am going to love you until the stars fade out, the sun dies, and the earth stops turning. You’ve been my everything for the past year and a half, and you will be my everything forever. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for teaching me I could love again._

_To the edge of the earth and beyond,  
Cassie_

And Kate collapsed again. She read the note over and over, tears running like a waterfall down her face. Nothing was ever going to be the same again. Cassie Lang had changed her life. She’d been her first love, and now her first heartbreak. And for the first time in a very long time, Kate felt lost.

\------------

The drive home was the worst one of Kate’s life. She drove on autopilot, Cassie’s things where she should’ve been. What snapped her back to reality was a soft acoustic song playing on the radio she didn’t know was on.

It wasn’t the music that brought her back. It was lines in the song that did.

_I don't know what I'm supposed to do_

_Haunted by the ghost of you_

_Take me back to the night we met_

And she broke again. Kate drove the rest of the way sobbing. It seemed too perfect for this song she didn’t know, but applied to her perfectly, would come on.

_When the night was full of terrors_

_And your eyes were filled with tears_

_When you had not touched me yet_

_Oh, take me back to the night we met_

Kate cried harder hearing that. It was finally sinking in that she wouldn’t get to hold Cassie ever again. To lay in bed, the two of them in the morning sun, Kate’s hand in her blond hair, letting the minutes pass. She’d never be able to kiss her again or walk down the street holding her hand ever again. She’d never get to catch Cassie stealing glances at her when she wasn’t looking, a small smile on her face and love in her eyes. Cassie Lang was gone, and she just realized that she’d never see her again.

Kate didn’t get out of the car for a long time. She just sat there, crying. She let herself get lost in her memories. Their first kiss, the night they met, all of it. She wanted to do nothing more than to go back in time and stay there forever. But she couldn’t. She knew that.

Cassie was gone and she would have to move on. She’d have to keep going, somehow.

She just didn’t know how.

\------------

The day of the funeral came, and Kate didn’t know how to handle it. She’d spent the past week in her old bed, leaving Cassie’s things untouched.

One of the first things Kate noticed was that Tommy wasn’t there- that didn’t surprise her though. She hadn’t seen Tommy since the day Cassie passed away, and she didn’t think anyone else had, either.

The funeral part she was numb for. She gave a speech- She knew that much. However, she didn’t remember what she said. She remembered talking and crying. She accepted the hugs from people she’d never met- because she had a feeling they needed it too.

“Are you Kate?” A voice asked behind her. Other people were in groups talking, but Kate was sitting at a table, still a little disconnected.

“Uh, yes I am.” she said, blinking herself back to the world. There was a short haired woman at the table, her face red.

“I’m… Cassie’s mom.” The room seemed to stop.

“Oh.” was all she could think to say. “I’m… _was_ Cassie’s girlfriend.”

“I know.” She sat down next to her. “I wish I would’ve been able to apologize.” Cassie’s mom started to cry. Kate reached into her bag, pulling out the letter for her.

“What’s this?”

“It’s for you, from Cassie.” Kate set it on the table. “I think she forgave you.”

“I don’t think I deserve that.” Her mom said, picking up the letter, flipping it in her hands. “Where… where did you get this?”

“When her room was being cleaned, there was an envelope of them. There’s one here for everyone. I just have to give her dad his.” She looked around. “Is he here?”

Cassie’s mom teared up again. “The wardens at the prison… they wouldn’t let him out. I’m so sorry, Kate.”

“It... it’s okay. I can bring it to him.” Kate said. “If that’s okay with you.” She added.

Her mom nodded. “That's fine. Scott said he wanted to meet you. Apparently Cassie raved about you.”

Kate turned red, her eyes filling. “She talked about him, too.”

“He was her best friend,” Cassie’s mom confirmed. They sat there in silence, their memories of Cassie sitting in the air.

“You know, for a year or so, I was angry. Looking back on it now, I didn’t have a reason to be. I feel like I’ve failed her. Instead of being there in her time of need, I rejected her.” She wiped her eyes. “I saw her a year or two later. I tried to talk to her, but she didn’t want to talk to me. I don’t blame her. I just hope she knew I loved her.”

“She did.” Kate was crying now. “She loved you too.”

“Thank you. For everything you did for her.”

Kate just nodded. “I would do it all over again.”  
Cassie’s mom gave her a hug, and Kate didn’t let go for a long time.

\----------

Kate went to visit Scott a few weeks after the funeral. She was nervous, but that’s expected when you’ve never been to a prison before. It was grey, and there were guards around every corner. They searched her when she got there, and then asked who she was there to see.

“Scott Lang.”

The guard nodded, indicating for her to follow. There were guards in the visiting room. Guys in orange jumpsuits were scattered at round tables. Some were handcuffed to their tables. Others looked like the people her and Cassie used to save defenseless girls from. Scott stood up when she walked into the room. The guard went and stood by the others, and Kate pulled Scott into a hug.

“You must be Kate.” He said as they sat down.

“You must be Scott. Cassie talked about you a lot.”  
He smiled at that. “She talked about you all the time.” He wiped his eyes. “She loved you.”

“I loved her too.”

They didn’t talk for a minute or two. Kate reached into her pocket, pulling out the letter Cassie wrote for her dad. She put it on the table between them.

“What’s this?” Scott picked up the letter.

“Cassie wrote it. She wrote everyone a letter before….”  
Scott didn’t answer. Carefully he tore it open, and Kate could see his hand shake slightly. Tears rolled down his face as he read it.

“The funeral. What was it like?”

“It was like she was. Positive, beautiful…” Kate wiped her own eyes. “I wish you could’ve been there.”

“So do I.” Scott wiped his eyes. “After I get out, would you take me to see her?”

Kate nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Thank you. For everything you did for her.”

\----------

Kate moved out a month after she visited Scott. The house felt too empty, and her friends had fallen apart. Billy hadn’t left his room for a month, and she hadn’t seen Tommy since the day in the hospital. Teddy didn’t want her to leave, but he helped her take her things back to Clint’s house. He gave her a hug when he left, telling her to call if she needs to.

Clint pulled her into a hug after he left. “So what’re you going to do?”

“I need to go. Somewhere. Anywhere.”

“Where to?”

Kate shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to see Europe.”

“How’re you gonna afford that?”

She gave him an empty smile. “Trust fund baby, remember?”  
“I thought you didn’t talk to your dad.”  
“I don’t. But I still have access to it.”

“Okay. So, when’re you going?”

“As soon as I can.”

As soon as she could came next week. Kate spent a year there, exploring, visiting every place she could. Something she noticed were the churches. They were tall and gorgeous, nothing like she’d ever seen before. Kate wasn’t a religious person, not really. She didn’t know if the afterlife was a thing, but she liked the idea of Cassie being somewhere, some form of Heaven. Kate hoped wherever she was, she knew how loved she was.

She went into one of the cathedrals one day. There were a few people in there, sitting, praying, talking quietly. There were candles at the front, some lit, some burned down to nothing. It gave Kate an idea.

In every cathedral she went to, for the rest of the trip, she lit a candle for Cassie. She was lighting the way home.

\-------------

New York was the same as it was when she left a year ago. The air was the same- sort of thick, sort of smoggy. But it was home.

Kate didn’t want to go to Clint’s right away. Instead she walked around for a while, dragging her suitcase behind her. Then she caught a glimpse of stark white hair run by, and the sound of yelling. Kate tore after the blur, suitcase jumping behind her. She turned into the alley, and lo and behold, there was Tommy, punching the shit out of some guy. There was a purse on the ground, and Kate assumed it had been stolen.

“Tommy?” He dropped the guy, looking up

“Kate?” She nodded, leaving her suitcase behind and pulling him into a hug. The guy tried to get up, but Tommy kicked him in the face, knocking him out.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were in Europe?”

“I was.” She shrugged, pulling away. “Gotta come home eventually.”

“Yeah,” There was an awkward silence.

“How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you since…” Kate trailed off. She hadn’t seen him since the day in the hospital.

“I’m sorry.” his voice cracked.

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not,” he wiped his eyes. “I shouldn’t have disappeared like that, but it was fucking awful and I couldn’t take it.”

“I know.” she gave him a hug, patting him on the back.

“I’m a coward, Kate. I haven’t gone to see her, I haven’t talked to the others since then.” Tommy held her tighter. Kate has never seen him cry before. “All I’ve done my whole life is run from things. I’ve tried to run from this, too.”

“It hasn’t worked.”

“I know,” he pulled away, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “I think it’s time I try to deal with it. It’s been over a year.”

“I know.” It still didn’t feel real to Kate that Cassie had been gone that long. “Where do you want to start?”

“I need to say goodbye.”

Kate nodded. “C’mon, I’ll take you.”

The ride to the cemetery was a silent one. Tommy didn’t say anything, but he was shaking his leg. the driver dropped them off, speeding down the street. Tommy took a deep breath and turned to Kate.

“Ready?”

He shook his head. “I never will be.”

“I won’t be, either.”

Cassie’s grave had flowers on it already. They were wilting a little, but they were recent enough to show the two of them someone had been there.

Kate didn’t know what Tommy said- he spoke Hebrew the whole time. Kate just sat behind him, gently patting him on the back. He stopped talking after a while and the two of them sat there for a while, the warm summer breeze blowing.

“She’s here.”

Tommy sniffed. “I know.”

“I don’t think she’s ever left us, you know?”

He nodded. Taking a shaky breath, he stood up, brushing off his pants. He turned to Kate.

“The others, I owe them an apology.”

“Do you know where they are?”

“They haven’t left. Billy sends updates every now and again. He took it hard.” Tommy sighed. “I owe him this much.”

Kate nodded. The apartment wasn’t far, so they walked. It was quiet; a comfortable silence was in the air. The apartment got closer and Kate could feel how nervous Tommy was. They walked up to the door, and Tommy looked like he was on the verge of panic.

“It’ll be okay,” Kate reassured, and she knocked on the door. Teddy answered. A look of shock filled his face when he saw them.

“You guys have any spare room?” Tommy asked nervously. He pulled them both into a hug, and for the first time in a long time, Kate felt okay again.

**Author's Note:**

> i really hope you enjoyed. feedback is appreciated. i am on twitter @transwicccan!!


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